LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Chap. ... 



EX 



Shelf __J 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



/ 



et 0 um*u.f ) f\uc^usT;„ Je a « , leg. 

THE LITTLE MONTH 



OF THE 

HOLT INFANCY; 

OR, 

THE FIRST MYSTERIES OF THE LIFE OF 
PROPOSED TO THE IMITATION m YOUTH, 

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF THE ABBE LETOUENEUR, VICAK- 
GENERAL OF THE DIOCESE OF SOISSONS, AND DEDICATED 
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY OF 

THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. 

/ PBBMISSU ST7PERIORFM. 



STEW YORK: 
PUBLISHED BY P. O'SHEA, 
£To. 104 Bleecker Street. 
1862. 



AP?E0BATI02s. 



Having examined the " Little Month of the Holy Infancy/ 1 
Dy the Abbe Letourneur, our Vicar- General, approve 
its publication, and recommend it to the youth of our Dio- 
eese. 



GlYEN AT SOISSOXS; 

Aug. 19, 1832. 



JULIUS FR. 
Bishop of Soissons a> t d Laon. 



DEDICATION. 



TO ALL CHRISTIAN CHILDREN, 

MEMBERS OP THE ASSOCIATION 

OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. 

Dear Children : — A priest who is devoted to your soci- 
ety, and who often prays for you to the Child Jesus, at the 
foot of the holy Altars, has conceived the design of pub- 
lishing in your language, this book, which has been so use- 
ful to your little brethren in France. 

Read one of the chapters occasionally, and you will see 
how the Infant Jesus, while apparently possessing the 
weaknesses of your age, went about doing good to all, even 
in the midst of the wicked. After shutting the book, cast 
a loving glance upon Jesus in the manger of Bethlehem, 
and say to yourself, that little Child lies upon straw. He 
trembles with cold, He hungers, He suffers through love 
of me. He will one day be nailed to the cross, and die by 
reason of that same love. 0 Jesus, be ever my guide, 
my protector, my friend, and my brother. Grant me the 
grace ever to love and serve You faithfully, 0 most lov- 
ing Jesus ! 

New Yoek, December U\ 1861. 



PROTEST. 



In obedience to the decrees of Pope Urban the Eighth, 
of holy memory, we protest that we do not intend to 
attribute any other than merely hnman authority to all 
the miracles, visions, graces and incidents mentioned in 
this book, nor to the titles, holy or blessed, applied to the 
servants of God, not yet canonized; except in cases 
where these have been confirmed b.y the Holy Roman 
Catholic Church, and by the Holy Apostolic See, of whom 
we profess ourselves to be obedient children. 



TO 



PREFACE 

THE FRENCH EDITION. 



The first mysteries, which the Son of God 
made man, accomplished for our salvation, offer 
the most touching examples and the most pro- 
found instructions for all times and conditions 
of life; but they are so perfectly adapted to 
the affections and wants, to the inclinations and 
duties of our earliest years, that it really seems 
as if the Divine Lord and Saviour of the world 
deigned to humble Himself, so far as to take 
upon Him the form of an infant, expressly to 
sanctify and instruct childhood. An Infant 
God could better make Himself understood, 
and, as it were, draw nearer to the hearts 
of children. His incomprehensible abasement 
would then be better suited to their simplicity, 
and would incite them more powerfully to the 
imitation of His virtues. Whilst collecting for 
the use of children, the precious details of His 
first twelve years, one cannot help thinking 



vi 



PREFACE. 



that age to be called to a more abundant par- 
ticipation in the benefits and blessings of that 
adorable Infancy. It was doubtless these con- 
siderations which inspired Pope Saint Leo to 
utter these touching words: " Jesus Christ 
loved childhood, the first state of man through 
which He would pass. Jesus Christ loved 
childhood, the mistress of humility, the rule of 
innocence, the model of gentleness." Should 
they not also inspire us to dedicate to that age, 
so dear to our Redeemer, the month of the 
Holy Infancy ? Yes, certainly, and such was 
our first intention ; but seeing that the form of 
that work did not exactly answer the desired 
end, we thought that a course of Lectures and 
Practices, composed exclusively for children, 
would render easier for them the study of their 
Divine Model, and the perfection after which 
they should strive, by their endeavors to imi- 
tate Him ; happy if our labors should contribute 
to develop or to strengthen in these young 
souls the knowledge and love of the Infant 
Jesus, and aid them to become faithful copies 
of Him, by their innocence and simplicity. 



BLESSED BE GOD. 



A SHOET ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN, 
AIM, AND ADVANTAGES 

OF THE 

SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. 



In presenting this volume to the Christian pub- 
lic, we trust it will be neither uninteresting nor 
unprofitable, to make some brief remarks and reflec- 
tions upon the origin, the aim, and the advantages 
of the Society of the Holy Childhood. First, as 
regards its origin. That it had its conception in 
devotion to the Holy Infancy of our Blessed Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, is too obvious to need 
remark. Ah, how seldom do we call to mind this 
most admirable and affecting phase of the Incar- 
nation ! What can be more touching, than to see 
the great God of Heaven and Earth, the Eternal, 
Omnipotent Lord, under the form of a child in 
His Virgin Mother's arms, apparently helpless, and 
subject to His own creatures; suffering the ex- 



Viii A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE 

tremes of cold, heat, hunger and thirst, and obedi- 
ent to the parents He had Himself chosen ? From 
the maternal immaculate bosom, does He not seem 
to cry out to us: " Suffer little children to come 
unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the 
kingdom of Heaven." 

It was this voice of the Babe of Bethlehem, 
that induced the late saintly De Janson Forbiu, a 
French Bishop, to establish the truly Christian 
association now under consideration. He looked 
around the earth with the eye of his all-embracing 
charity, and beheld, with the most affectionate 
sympathy, the wretched condition of infants in 
pagan nations, and particularly in China. China 
is a vast country in Asia, having a population of 
300,000,000 souls. The people are so poor, and^ 
so barbarous, that the young infants, whom they 
are too poor or too indolent to raise, they either 
strangle, or drown, or throw them out on the 
streets, or the highways, to die from starvation, or 
to be devoured by dogs, hogs, and birds of prey; in 
the cities and towns, the bodies of these poor little 
innocents are removed in carts with the common 
tilth, with as little concern as if they were merely 
the carcasses of animals. The number of little 
children who are thus exposed and perish, is im- 
mensely great, amounting to thousands daily. The 



SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. ix 

humanizing, to say nothing of the civilizing influ- 
ences of Christianity, have not yet succeeded in 
penetrating the masses of the depraved people of 
that benighted country. 

It was the unhappy condition of those wretch- 
ed children, deprived at once of corporal and 
spiritual life, that first attracted the attention of 
the good Bishop, and suggested to him the foun- 
dation of the work of the Holy Childhood. 

Its aim is to procure, through the tender charity 
of the children of Europe and America, in fact, 
of all throughout Christendom, the salvation, both 
corporal and spiritual, of as great a number as 
possible of the children of China, and such other 
countries as are similarly circumstanced, to pro- 
cure for the poor little sufferers, who are in imme- 
diate danger of death, the grace of baptism and 
thereby of eternal life, in honor of the amiable and 
affecting Infancy of our Divine Redeemer, the 
Babe of Bethlehem, and the Child of Nazareth. 

But the object of the work is far from ending 
with the conferring of the Sacrament of baptism 
upon the dying children ; it takes charge also of 
those who are in no such danger, in fact, of all 
who are exposed to perish, and after baptizing 
them, it attends to all their bodily and mental ne- 
cessities. It clothes and educates them, procuring 



X 



A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE 



nurses for them in Christian families, and founds 
hospitals, schools and colleges for their benefit. 
These children, these neophytes, thus saved and 
charitably provided for, become, as they grow up, 
missionaries and apostles of Christianity to their 
benighted fellow countrymen, and it must not be 
upposed that they forget, in their pious solicitude, 
that class of little perishing babes, from which 
they themselves have been rescued. 

Oh, what innumerable blessings must not the 
prayers of these numerous little children, thus 
saved and provided for, bring down upon the 
heads of those, who by their alms, have enabled 
devoted Catholic missionaries to go to these dis- 
tant countries, and in face of so many dangers, to 
undertake such charitable offices ! But we should 
not omit to mention, that such is the poverty and 
cupidity of Chinese parents, that they will sell 
their children for a few cents each. Hence, our 
good Samaritans by no means confine their char- 
itable deeds to such children as are exposed to 
perish, but purchase from the infidels such as they 
will sell, in order to rear them up for God and 
Heaven. 

We now proceed to the consideration of some 
of the advantages of the work of the Holy Child- 
hood, but to do full justice to this part of our 



SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. xi 

task would require many pages, if not a whole 
volume. These advantages are of a two-fold char- 
acter — spiritual and temporal. We have already 
touched on those arising from it to the children of 
the infidel or pagan nations, let us now look nearer 
home, and consider those accruing therefrom, to 
our own children, as well as to their parents and 
guardians. Our Blessed Lord has said : "It is more 
blessed to give than to receive" and surely we can 
scarcely conceive a case, in which this divine max- 
im is more truly and efficaciously verified, than 
in the one before us. Christian parents are not 
generally sufficiently impressed with the fact, that 
their duties to their dear little ones end not with 
teaching them their prayers and catechism — a very 
important, or rather more important duty requires 
to be discharged, namely — to teach them active 
charity ; and can this charity, by which we mean 
their prayers and alms, be extended to objects 
more deserving of compassion, than the little babes 
of China ? 

The annals of the Holy Childhood furnish us 
with innumerable instances of the most heroic and 
affecting infantile charity in behalf of the little 
abandoned Chinese. Indeed, it is one of those 
instances in which the adage is verified, that 
" truth is stranger than fiction." Have we erred 



XU A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE 

in styling that heroic charity, which induces a 
child to give his most precious possessions for 
the salvation of others, whom he has never seen, 
especially when we remember, that selfishness and 
avarice are usually very predominant features in 
the character of the young? 

A correspondent of the Annals writes — "A. 
little girl, aged six years, of the province of St. 
Brieuc, receives every morning a piece of dry 
bread and a cent to buy apples to eat therewith. 
One day she came to the class beaming with joy, 
and said, giving a cent to her teacher, 4 Here is 
something for the little Chinese, and every day 
I will give as much.' * Where did you get this 
cent?' asked the sister. 4 From my mother,' 
answered the child ; ' she is so good to me. 
I will eat my bread dry every day until I have 
completed my twelve cents.' The child, as the 
editor was informed, continued her generous little 
sacrifice daily. On the first day of the year she 
^received a cent for a New Year's gift; this she 
hastened to give also to her ' dear little Chinese.'" 

Here is another charming example. " A little 
boy aged five years, refused to touch the dinner to 
which his father had helped him ; ' 1 will eat no 
dinner to-day,' said the child, 1 I want to have it 
sent to the poor little Chinese.' " 



SOCIETY OE THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. Xlll 



But the following incident appears to us to be 
singularly touching. What mother could resist the 
captivating eloquence with which love alone could 
inspire a poor little girl % " The young Matilda 
vainly begged her mother to enroll her in the soci- 
ety of the Holy Childhood ; she exhausted all the 
means she could think of, without success. 1 Moth- 
er,' said she one day, 6 don't you know that the 
children I would buy would go straight to Heaven 
— and that I also would go to heaven, because they 
would pray for me to our God V This appeal was 
fruitless. But the child ' was not discouraged. 
Finally, one day she said to her : 4 Wait, mamma, 
and imagine to yourself that this country is China, 
and that the greedy hogs are going to devour dear 
little brother ; oh, would you not be glad to have 
some one purchase him?' At these words, the 
mother became overpowered with emotion, and 
could no longer resist the earnest petition of the 
amiable child who had found the way to her ma- 
ternal heart." 

So capable of awakening the most tender emo- 
tions, and enkindling the fire of charity, has this 
work of the Holy Childhood been to some souls 
in Europe and elsewhere, that many persons who 
have no children themselves, have been known to 
practice great self-denial, and to increase their 

B 



Xiv A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE 

labor and their economy, in order to spare some- 
thing for the funds of the Society, by becoming 
honorary members, and thus participating in its 
manifold blessings. Thus we see seamstresses, and 
servants, poor laborers and mechanics, zealously 
and joyfully contending who should be foremost 
in giving it aid. Oh ! read the Annals, and you 
will not be surprised at their devotedness, but 
will hasten to become a member yourself. How 
could it be otherwise when we reflect that a Chi- 
nese child may be bought for five cents ! Verily 
there is in this consideration, something that should 
move us, and make us ashamed of our own in- 
considerateness and want of humanity, as well as 
charity. And those who have at heart the con- 
version of China and other Infidel nations, can they 
refuse both prayers and material aid to this Insti- 
tution, which is so powerful an auxiliary to the 
magnificent and Catholic work of the Propagation 
of the Faith. 

We will now proceed to notice some of the 
advantages which accrue to the parents and guar- 
dians of the members of the Society, and first, we 
would ask — what can be more consoling to Chris- 
tian parents, than to see their little ones joyfully 
bestowing their labors and dearest treasures, on 
objects of -charity, and in honor of the sweet Babe 



SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. 



XV 



of Bethlehem ? If we admire and praise this char- 
ity in the children of others, must it not, in a ten- 
fold degree gladden us when it is done by our own 
offspring ? Ah ! truly " charity blesseth doubly, 
him who giveth, and him who receiveth." J oy is 
in some sense contagious, our children can scarcely 
be penetrated by it, without a portion of it revert- 
ing to ourselves, and surely, no joy in this com- 
monly joyless life, can be purer than that to which 
we have alluded. The Annals furnish us with 
many instances of the industrious charity of the 
young zealots in this cause. Some would work for 
a longer time than usual, some would be more 
sparing of their clothes, some would deny them- 
selves not alone the luxuries, but even almost the 
necessaries of life, in order to save the monthly 
cent for the redemption of little pagans. In France 
especially, what an affecting sight for the eyes of 
pious parents, must it not be to see their little 
girls working so assiduously at embroidering or 
making quilts for the benefit of those whom they 
call their god children, for so may be justly styled 
in a certain sense, those children who are rescued 
from eternal death by their charitable exertions. 

One feature in the good work, is the wonderful 
effect it has in reforming children from confirmed 
bad habits and vices ; such as lying, cursing, swear- 



Xvi A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE 

ing, idleness, drowsiness, etc., all accomplished by 
the promise of giving them a cent a month, for the 
poor perishing little Chinese. Nay, through its 
means, many children have been induced to learn 
their prayers and catechism in less than one-fourth 
the time that would otherwise be required, and 
all this, and more of a similar character, for the 
promised reward of the monthly cent. Is not all 
this of equal, if not greater benefit to the parents ? 
We need not stop to answer. 

The social advantages which must result to par- 
ents from the exercise of the various functions 
connected with the work, must be very consider- 
able. In the first place, it will naturally bring 
their children into society with other pious chil- 
dren, and the reunions — these happy reunions of 
its members, which have evenings without weari- 
ness, and mornings without sadness, will be strong- 
ly calculated to cement an everlasting esteem and 
friendship among them ; this must next pass to 
the parents, and may, and no doubt often does, in 
many cases, lead to great temporal advantages for 
the w T hole family. 

The association also calls into action the joyful 
and charitable industry of numberless young minds 
in devising and executing, with the most exquisite 
taste and skill, articles for the fairs and lotteries, for 



SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. XVII 

the benefit of the poor deserted heathen children. 
Experience and history confirm the fact, that it is 
only the inspirations of religion, or of her bright- 
est ornament — charity — that has produced the 
most beautiful and rarest specimens of art; wit- 
ness as only one instance — the cathedrals of Christ- 
endom, with their inimitable paintings and sculp- 
ture. How else could it be, when we work solely 
for our most amiable and good God and Kedeemer. 
And can our children in their turn take an active 
part in such good works, without having their 
artistic and creative faculties much cultivated and 
strengthened ? Assuredly not. 

Tne family roof itself even, receives its share 
of the universal blessings this charitable associa- 
tion is so well calculated to impart. Many fami- 
lies have had their ways of living ameliorated, 
and found comfort replace former want, owing to 
the impulse given to their industry and economy, 
in order to be enabled to give their dear little 
children the monthly cent for the Society of the 
Holy Childhood ! The same thought has led many 
persons to leave off useless, and perhaps, in many 
cases, pernicious superfluities — in finery, dress, fur- 
niture, the luxuries of the table, and in many other 
ways, to gratify the laudable importunities of their 
children, on behalf of the suffering Chinese. 

B* 



Xviii A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE 

But the chief utility of the work is, to guide 
and assist parents in the Christian education of 
their children. It is in that respect both sugges- 
tive and practical. It is a consoling feature in 
the history of our Holy Mother, the Church, that 
God, ever watchful in her regard, always provides 
her with institutions calculated to suit the wants 
of the time. Is not this institution of the Holy 
Childhood, in our own days, an exemplification 
of His vigilant providence? We live in an age 
when much labor and care are bestow r ed on ma- 
terial and other perishable worldly interests, whilst 
"the one thing necessary" is neglected or almost 
forgotten. Nor do we go too far, in saying, that 
the society of the Holy Childhood is, perhaps more 
than all others, calculated to render the Christian 
culture of children at once easy and pleasant. 
Indeed, it may justly be styled a kind of Piety 
made easy. 

The mother happy enough to comprehend the 
treasure included in this work, will hasten to enroll 
in the list of the associates, her child yet unborn, 
with the intention of its having part in the graces 
of the visitation of the Blessed Virgin, preluding 
by the charity bestowed for the sanctincation of the 
children of strangers, the grace of baptism, which 
she then efficaciously implores for her own infant. 



SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHIL3>HOOD. XIX 

As soon as the child becomes aware of his ex- 
istence, he will learn from his mother that he has 
a Father in Heaven : that that all-powerful Father 
has given him a brother, who is His eternal son, 
and also the son of the blessed and immaculate 
Virgin Mary, that this sweet brother wishes to 
share all things with him — His merits, His throne, 
His kingdom, etc. "And you, my child, what 
will you give in return to the Infant Jesus ? Your 
heart, yes, your whole heart. But what more? 
Other hearts still ; you will give Him all that He 
has come to seek on earth, in becoming a little 
child, like yourself. He is so great and powerful, 
that every thing that exists — the resplendent sun, 
the beautiful moon, the charming flowers, the 
whole world — has been the work of His hands ; 
and yet, He has made Himself little, He has 
chosen to become poor, to suffer and to weep. 
What does he weep for ? For hearts to love Him ? 
Will you not give him yours without reserve?" 

These considerations must remind the child of 
his own dignity, and have the same effect upon 
the mother also, as well as recall to her memory 
the duties she owes her offspring. Among other 
things she will say to him : " I have a secret to 
tell you if you will be prudent. Mamma will 
cause your name to be enrolled in a book, in which 



XX 



A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE 



are inscribed the names of the cherished little 
ones of the Infant Jesus. She will give twelve 
cents yearly in }~our name, in honor of the twelve 
years of the infancy of Jesus Christ, in order that 
they may be employed in purchasing Chinese 
babes to be given to Him by baptism." How 
pleasing this will be to the child, and when she re- 
minds him that thus he becomes, as it were, a lit- 
tle father himself, and begets little children for the 
sweet Infant of Bethlehem, who expect from his 
exertions, food, clothing, and education, be will, 
doubtless, be encouraged to make noble sacrifices 
in their favor. As he grows older, he will give 
her constant opportunities to instil into his youth- 
ful mind, the sacred precepts of religion and prac- 
tical piety. He can now be easily taught his 
prayers, catechism, habits of order, industry, econ- 
omy, study, mildness toward his brothers and sis- 
ters, to shun evil company, etc., and his mother 
will find him fully realizing her fondest hopes. 

We will conclude these reflections with a beau- 
tiful thought on the subject, which we translate 
from the Annals. It of course applies to the 
mother who has duly enrolled her children in 
the society, and discharged all her other duties 
toward them. " Valiant woman, object of the 
promises of the Holy Ghost, enjoy in peace your 



SOCIETY OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. Xxi 



modest glory ; it will be no impediment to your 
piety, it will embalm the house of your husband, 
it will be the light and example of your neighbors, 
and your peaceable home will become as a sanc- 
tuary, where you will experience a foretaste of the 
happiness of the Saints in Heaven." 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



OP 

THE HOLY INFANCY. 



PRELIMINARY LECTURE. 
Motives and Practices of this Devotion. 

Before engaging in the practices of the Month 
of the holy Infancy of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is 
proper, my dear children, that you should form a 
just idea of this devotion, which may perhaps be 
quite new to you. We are never much interested 
in things which we do not clearly understand, 
nor can we follow with zeal and perseverance, even 
the easiest practices, if we do not fully appreciate 
their merits and advantages. Besides this, it is 
important for you, early to learn the good policy 
of neither receiving nor rejecting any thing with- 
out examination and reflection. This habit will 
preserve you from many mistakes, and conse- 
quently from numerous regrets. You have, it is 



2 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



true, nothing to fear from reading this little book, 
which I now offer to your piety, nor in the accom- 
plishment of these religious practices, perfectly 
•conformable to the spirit of the Church, and 
marked with the seal of her authority. But you 
will not become permanently attached to them 
if you have not carefully studied, and as it were, 
closely considered Him who is the object thereof. 
Finally, my dear children, do not be alarmed by 
the length of time consecrated to the honor of the 
Holy Infancy. I know, that at your age, a month, 
each day of which is devoted to a religious exer- 
cise, may seem interminable. But you will clearly 
understand that you are not called upon to inter- 
rupt either your studies, your labors, or even your 
ordinary amusements, but simply to give daily one 
quarter of an hour's attention to the short explana- 
tion of a mystery equally instructive and consoling. 
It is a collection of charming pictures which Faith 
places before your eyes ; and the subjects, which 
will be represented therein, are so perfectly adapted 
to your age, that they will speak at once to your 
minds and hearts. You cannot calculate the favor- 
able impressions and the happy effects they may 
have upon your thoughts and affections, nor the 
influence these meditations and practices, simple 
as they .are, may exercise over your conduct. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



s 



"When you see a. God who, not content with 
taking upon Himself our miserable nature, has 
chosen, in order to instruct and to draw us to 
Himself, to pass through all the stages of child* 
hood, do you not feel impelled to approach Him, 
to listen to His teaching, and to study the glorious 
examples He gives you? Do not His virtues, 
which shone with so pure and mild a lustre during 
the first years of His life on earth, enkindle in you 
the desire to reproduce some of their features, to 
show forth in your actions and sentiments even 
some faint image or shadow of them ? Finally, 
does not the unbounded love of which each of His 
first steps in His long career of humiliation and 
sorrow has, so to speak, left an indelible impression, 
penetrate deeply into your hearts, and cause you 
to experience the desire to respond to it in some 
sort by your tender love and generosity ? Such 
are the pious sentiments with which you should 
ardently beg the Infant Jesus to fill your hearts, 
since the principal end of the Month which you 
are about to commence, is to enable yon to enter 
more fully into the knowledge, the emulation, and 
the love of the Infant Jesus, and upon the faithful 
accomplishment of the duties the perfect model of 
which you will find in the first twelve years of His 
earthly life. 



4 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



In order to attain to so desirable an end, I am 
about to propose some practices to your piety, 
my dear children ; if you cannot follow them all, 
you may choose those which please you most, or 
which may be best suited to your condition in 
life. 

1st. Offer to the Infant Jesus, not only the dif- 
ferent acts of piety by which you wish to honor 
Him during this month, but also your actions and 
ordinary occupations. That will be a fresh mo- 
tive for you to endeavor to acquit yourselves of 
them in a manner more agreeable to God and 
more meritorious for yourselves. 

2d. Renew this offering each morning, either 
upon awaking or at the end of your prayers. 

3d. If possible, assist at the Holy Sacrifice of 
the Mass, daily. 

4th. Prepare yourselves to sanctify this Month 
by the trequentation of the Sacraments. 

5th. In order to profit by the daily meditation 
endeavor to recollect yourselves before commenc- 
ing, and seek to draw down the Holy Ghost into 
your souls, by fervent prayer. 

6th. Do not omit the daily recital of the Litany 
of the Holy Infancy, or that of the Saints who 
were devoted to it ; but, except in case of abso- 
lute necessity, never omit the lecture nor the col- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



5 



loquy with the Infant J esus, nor the little chaplet. 
God grants His favors and blessings to exactitude 
and perseverance. 

7th. Propose as the special object of your de- 
mands, the virtue which you know to be most 
necessary, and examine your consciences each 
night upon the vice which is most opposed to it ; 
take good resolutions for the following day ; ex- 
press your loving regrets to the Infant Jesus, and 
go to sleep pronouncing His blessed name. 

8th. Finally, revive your devotion toward, and 
your confidence in, the Blessed Virgin and St. 
Joseph, and beg them to obtain for you the grace 
to enter into the spirit of the mysteries of the 
Holy Infancy, to the participation of which they 
were admitted in so privileged a manner. 

LITANY OF THE INFANT JESUS. 



Lord, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Infant Jesus, hear us. 
Lnfant Jesus, gra- 
ciously hear us. 
1* 



God the Father of 
Heaven, ^ 

God the Son, Redeem- § 
er of the world, 2 

God the Holy Ghost, § 

Holy Trinity, one^ 
God, 

Infant Jesus, § 
Infant, very God, 



6 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Infant, Son of the 

living God, 
Infant, Son of the 

Virgin Mary, 
Infant, begotten before 

the morning star, 
Infant, Word made 

Flesh, 
Infant, Wisdom of thy 

Father, 
Infant, Purity of thy ^ 

Mother, § 
Infant, only Son of thy g 

Father, S§ 
Infant, First-born of ^ 

thy Mother, § 
Infant, Image of thy § 

Father, 
Infant, Creator of thy 

Mother, 
Infant, Splendor of thy 

Father, 
Infant, Honor of thy 

Mother, 
Infant, equal to thy 

Father, 



Infant, subject to thy 
Mother, 

Infant, Joy of thy Fa- 
ther, 

Infant, Riches of thy 
Mother, 

Infant, Gift of thy Fa- 
ther, 

Infant, Offering of thy 
Mother, 

Infant, precious fruit . 
of a Virgin, g 

Infant, Creator of man, ^ 

Infant, Power of God, <| 

Infant, our God, 

Infant, our Brother, § 

Infant, perfect man § 
from thy Concep- 
tion, 

Infant, ancient in wis- 
dom from thy child- 
hood, 

Infant, Father of ages, 
Infant of days, 
Infant giving life, and 

nourished at the 

breast, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



1 



Infant, Eternal Word, 
and making thyself 
dumb, 

Infant, weeping in the 
crib, 

Infant, thundering in 

the heavens, 
Infant, Terror of Hell, 
Infant, joy of Para- 
dise, 

Infant, dreaded by ty- ^ 

rants, § 
Infant, desired by the ^ 

Magi, | 
Infant, exiled from thy^ 

people, s 
Infant, King in exile, § 
Infant, Destroyer of 

idols, 

Infant, Vindicator of 
the glory of God, 

Infant, strong in weak- 
ness, 

Infant, powerful % in 

abasement, 
Infant, Treasure of 

Grace, 



Infant, Fountain of 
love, 

Infant, Author of the 

blessings of heaven, 
Infant, Repairer of the 

evils of earth, 
Infant, Head of the 

Angels, 
Infant, Stem of the 

Patriarchs, 
Infant, Word of the ^ 

Prophets, § 
Infant, Expectation of ^ 

nations, S§ 
Infant, joy of the shep-^t 

herds, 

Infant, Light of the § 
Magi, 

Infant, Salvation of 

children, 
Infant, Hope of the 

Just, 

Infant, Teacher of 

Doctors, 
Infant, First-fruits of 

the Saints, 



8 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Be merciful, 

Spare us, 0 Infant 
Jesus. 

Be merciful, 

Graciously hear us y 0 
Infant Jesus. 

From the bondage of 
the children of Ad- 
am, 

From the slavery of 
the devil, ^ 

From the corruption | 
of the world, ^ 

From the lust of the g 
flesh, 

ft* 

From the pride of life, 
From an immoderate § 

desire of knowl- g 

edge, 

From blindness of 

mind, 
From perversity of 

will, 
From our sins, 
Through thy most 

pure Conception, 



Through thy most 

humble birth, 
Through thy Tears, 
Through thy most 
painful Circumcis- 
ion, 

Through thy most glo- 
rious Epiphany, 

Through thy most de- 
vout Presentation, 

Through thy most in-^ 
nocent conversation i 
in the world, ^ 

Through thy most § 
holy Life, ~* 

Through thy Poverty, §- 

Through thy Sorrows, | 

Through thy Labors g 
and Travails, 

Lamb of God, who 
takest away the sins 
of the world, 

Spare us, 0 Infant 
Jesus. 

Lamb of God, who 
takest away the sins 
of the world, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



9 



Graciously hear us, 0 

Infant Jesus. 
Lamb of God, who 
takest away the sins 
of the world, 
Have mercy on us, 0 

Infant Jesus. 
Infant Jesus, hear us. 
Infant Jesus, graci- 
ously hear us. 

Let us pray. 
O Lord Jesus, who 
didst vouchsafe so to 
annihilate the great- 
ness of thy Incarnation, 
Divinity, and most Sa- 
cred Humanity, as to 



be born in time, and 
become a little child ; 
grant that we may 
acknowledge Infinite 
wisdom in the silence 
of a child. Power in 
weakness, majesty in 
abasement ; so that, 
adoring thy humilia- 
tions on earth, we may 
contemplate thy glo- 
ries in Heaven. Who 
with the Father and 
Holy Ghost livest and 
reignest, God forever 
and ever. Amen. 



10 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS, 



Who were devoted to the Infancy of our Lord, or 
who suffered martyrdom in childhood. 



Lord, have mercy on 



us. 



Christ, have mercy on 



us. 



<5i 

Lord, have mercy on * 
us. 

Jesus, hear us. 

Jesus, graciously hear 
us. g 

God, the Father of 
Heaven, 

God, the Son, Re- 
deemer of the 
world, 

God, the Holy Ghost, 

Holy Trinity, one 
God, 

Holy Mary, J? 
Holy Mother of God,^ 
Holy Virgin of Vir-^ 

Saint Michael, 
Saint Gabriel, 



Saint Raphael, 

Holy Angels and 
Arch-Angels, 

All ye Holy Orders of 
Blessed Spirits, 

Saint Abraham, 

Saint David, 

Saint Isaias, 

Saint John Baptist, 

Saint Joseph, Jjj 

Saint Joachim, 

Saint Za chary, 

All ve Holv Patriarchs "2 
and Prophets, 

Holy Shepherds, 

Holy Magian Kings, 

Saint Simeon, 

All ye Holy Inno- 
cents, 

Saint Celsus, of An- 
tioch, 

Saint Celsus of Milan, 
Saint Modestus, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



11 



Saint Ammonius, 
Saint Pergentinus, 
Saint Laurentius, 
Saint Claud, 
Saint Hypatius, 
Saint Paul, 
Saint Dionysius, 
Saint Sancus, 
Saint Quiricius, 
Saint Pelagius, 
Saint Justin, 
Saint Pastor, . 
Saint Kaphinus, g 
Saint Sylvanus, ^ 
Saint Yitalis, ^ 
Saint Crescentius, £ 
Saint Flocellers, 
Saint Paulinus, 
Saint Barula, 
All ye Holy Martyrs, 
Saint Leo, 

Saint John Chrysos- 
tom, 

Saint Augustine, 

Saint Jerome, 

Saint Anthony, of Pa- 
dua, 



Saint Francis, 

Saint Thomas, of Vil- 

lanosa, 
Saint Stanislaus Kots- 

ka, 

All ye holy Pontiffs 
and Confessors, 

Saint Anne, Grand- 
mother of the In- 
fant Jesus, 

Saint Elizabeth, 

Saint Anna, the Pro- 
phetess, g 

Saint Agnes, 

Saint Eulalia, 

Saint Eutropia, g 

Saint Acquilla, 

Saint Emerentiana, 

Saint Secunda, 

Saint Julia, 

Saint Basilissa, 

Saint Paula, 

Saint Eustachium, 

Saint Helena, 

Saint Theresa, 

Saint Gertrude, 



12 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Saint Catharine, of 

Sienna, 
All ye holy Virgins 

and Widows, ha 
Holy Infant Martyrs, <g 
All ye holy men and-^ 

women, Saints of 

God, P 
Lamb of God, who 

takest away the sins 

of the world, 
Spare us, 0 Lord. 
Lamb of God, who 

takest away the sins 

of the world, 
Graciously hear us, 0 

Lord. 

Lamb of God, who 

takest away the sins 

of the world. 
Have mercy on us, 0 

Lord. 
Jesus, hear ns. 
Jesus, graciously hear 

us. 

Let us pray. 
0 God, who by the 
admirable effects of 



your grace in strength- 
ening the faith and 
constancy of their 
most tender years 
against the perfidious 
caresses of the enemy 
of salvation and the 
frightful menaces of 
his cruelty, has en- 
abled little children to 
withstand the most 
severe torments and 
to triumph over ty- 
rants, grant us, we be- 
seech you, by their 
intercession, obedi- 
ence to your precepts 
and fidelity in your 
service, in order that 
neither the secret 
snares of the devil, 
nor the violence of his 
fury, may ever have 
the power to separate 
us from you, who liv- 
est and reignest world 
without end. Amen. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



13 



INVOCATIONS, 

To the first adorers of the Infant Jesus. 



Holy Angels, who 
formed the Court 
of the Infant Jesus, 
and served Him 
during the entire 
period of His In- 
fancy, 

Pray for us. 

Holy Angels, who an- 
nounced to the 
Shepherds the birth 
of the' Infant Jesus, 
and who adored 
Him weeping in 
His manger, 

Pray for us. 



Holy Magian Kings, 
who led by a star, 
came from the East 
to adore the Infant 
Jesus and offer to 
Him gifts, 

Pray for us. 

Holy Shepherds, who 
at the news an- 
nounced by the 
Angels, hastened 
to the stable to 
adore the Infant 
Jesus, 

Pray for us. 



PRAYER TO THE HOLY INFANT JESUS. 

Most amiable Jesus, God and King of Angels 
and of men, from the depths of my own nothing- 
ness, I recognize your infinite grandeur in the lit- 
tleness of a child, and adore you with my whole 
heart and soul, as the Word made Flesh, as our 
2 



14 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



all-powerful God, as our Liberator reduced to the 
slavery from which He has freed us, the longer 
you remain upon earth, the more incomprehensible 
you become ; and in coming forth from your 
mother's womb, you add a new secret to those 
already hidden in the bosom of your Father. You 
come into the world, and yet you abide in Heav- 
en ; you show yourself to all flesh, and yet you 
hide yourself from every spirit; you are equally 
infinite and incomprehensible to men, whether you 
are born in time as a child, or whether you equal 
your Father in eternity : I adore you, and give 
myself to you, as at once concealed, and yet un- 
veiled in these two ineffable mysteries. You are 
a hidden God, but in this nothingness I find all. 
You are poor, but in you I see all my treasure. 
You weep, but you are my consolation and hap- 
piness. Scarcely born, you seek after death, but 
you are my eternal life. You, who livest and 
reignest with God the Father, in unity with the 
Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



15 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE VIGIL OF THE NATIVITY. 

Arrival of the Holy Family at Bethlehem. 

You know, my dear child, that after Adam had 
sinned, a Redeemer was promised to him. It was 
on the very day of his fall, that God said to his 
tempter, who was hidden under the form of a ser- 
pent : / will put enmities between thee and the wo- 
man, and thy seed and her seed : she shall crush thy 
head. That is to say, of the woman shall be born 
a Son who will destroy thy empire. This Son pro- 
mised by God, this liberator and deliverer, is Jesus 
Christ. The Patriarchs successively transmitted 
this blessed promise to their descendants. The 
prophets, who after them were charged to an- 
nounce His coming, were not satisfied with indica- 
ting merely , some of the marks and characteristics 
by which He might be recognized, they describe 
in the most particular manner the time, place, and 
circumstances under which He was to appear, the 
prodigies of His conception and birth, His humil- 
iations and His grandeurs, His miracles and His 
sufferings, and finally His death and glorious resur- 
rection. The importance of His divine mission, 
moreover, required that His person should not be 



16 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



liable to be mistaken, nor His titles reasonably 
contested ! 

As you advance, dear child, in the study of re- 
ligion, you will discover, to your great consolation, 
that if the marks and characteristics of the Mes- 
siah could not have been traced with more clear- 
ness and exactitude, they could not, on the other 
hand, apply more directly nor exclusively to our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; so much so, that the holy men, 
raised up by God to announce them, seem rather 
to relate facts already happened, than to predict 
those to come, and" should be styled His historians, 
instead of His prophets. But you will admire still 
more the means by which Providence caused the 
will of men, though seemingly most opposite to 
His intentions, to co-operate in the execution of 
His impenetrable designs, and the facility with 
which He triumphed over all obstacles. Consider 
the manner in which were verified the two proph- 
ecies relative to the family from which the Mes- 
siah was to spring, and the place where he was to 
be born, and say, could their literal accomplish- 
ment be more clearly proven ? 

The prophets had announced that the Messiah 
should not only be of the race of Abraham; but 
also of the house and family of David. The place 
of His birth had also been not less clearly desig- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



11 



nated in their predictions. Out of Bethlehem, in 
the land of Juda, shall come forth the Ruler of 
Israel. It was not enough that these prophecies 
should be fulfilled in Him who called Himself the 
Messiah, it was necessary that they should he as 
clear and indubitable as they certainly were. Be- 
hold, therefore, how God, who directs and orders 
all things, even when He seems least active, obliged 
Joseph, who was living quietly at Nazareth, and 
had no intention of leaving that city, to make a 
journey to Bethlehem, with his, spouse, at the pre- 
cise time when she was to give birth to her Son. 
I will relate to you the manner in which the rulers 
of the earth were constrained to accomplish the 
prophecy, which indicated the birthplace, as well 
as pointed out the royal descent of the Saviour of 
the World. 

" And it came to pass that in those days, there 
went out a decree from Omar Augustus, that the 
whole world should be enrolled, that is to say, the 
whole Roman empire, whose limits extended over 
all parts of the then known world. This enrol- 
ling was first made by Oyrinus, the governor of 
Syria; and all went to be enrolled, every one into 
his own city. And Joseph, also, went up from Gal- 
ilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the 
city of David, which is called Bethlehem : because he 
2* 



18 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



teas of the house and family of David, to be enrol- 
led with Mary, hissjjouse" H Thus," says Bossuet, 
" through a vain and political motive, men put the 
whole world in motion, and God makes their hu- 
man views serve for the accomplishment of His 
designs. His Son was to be born in Bethlehem, 
the humble city of David, so his prophets had 
predicted more than seven hundred years before; 
and behold the whole universe in agitation to ac- 
complish the prophecy. Its origin is fully attested 
by the public registers. The Roman empire tes- 
tifies to the royal descent of Jesus Christ ; and 
Caesar, when he least thinks of it, executes the 
orders of God." 

Consider well, dear child, this marvellous chain 
of Divine Providence. A Redeemer is promised 
to mankind from the first ages of the world. This 
promise is renewed to all the Patriarchs, and al- 
ways with the same precision, and in the same 
words. The Prophets, who next take their place 
in the midst of the people of God, to recall it to 
their minds, describe, each in their turn, the char- 
acters and features by which He could be recog- 
nized. The time aud circumstances they have 
marked for His coming, have at length arrived. 
You will, perhaps, think that the privileged nation 
in the midst of which He is to be born, are im- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



19 



patiently awaiting the great event ; that the Doc- 
tors of the Law, who hold in their hands the ora- 
cles announcing it, seek with pious solicitude for 
all that may enlighten them regarding its near ap- 
proach.* But you deceive yourself ; the people are 
only occupied with the synagogue, the Doctors do 
not even think of examining the Holy Writings 
in which His coming is clearly foretold. How then 
will this Desired of all nations manifest Himself to 
the world, since the people who possess the divine 
promises treat them with so great indifference 
and, such criminal neglect? Will not the humble 
condition of Mary and Joseph render the cloud 
which covers Him still more impenetrable ? 

Console yourself, dear child, God keeps ever in 
reserve for the accomplishment of His designs, 
means which the skill of man could never divine ; 
and it is doubtless for that very reason that it 
comes so hard to them to believe in them. Neither 
the obscure condition of Mary and Joseph; the 
carelessness and forgetfulness of the Jews; nor the 
silence and politic caution of the Doctors of the 
Law, could prevent the Incarnate Light from shin- 
ing and spreading His splendor abroad, and by 
ways as deep in reality as they are simple and nat- 
ural in appearance, all events and wills conduce 
to the manifestation of the Messiah. Thus, it was 



20 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



necessary that His descent from David should be 
clearly proven. An unforeseen order obliges each 
of the inhabitants of Judea, as well as all persons 
subject to the Roman power, to be enrolled in his 
native city; and Joseph being of the house and 
family of David, went up from Galilee out of the 
city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, 
which is called Bethlehem, to be enrolled with 
Mary, his espoused wife, who was with child. And 
when they were there, her days were accomplished 
that she should be delivered, and she brough t forth 
her first-born Son. Thus His parentage, His royal 
descent, His birth at the time and in the place 
marked out by the Prophets, are verified in an 
unimpeachable manner, and so clearly that, as soon 
as He appears, no one can help crying out : This is 
truly the God whom we expected; He it is who will 
save us. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the denial 
He experienced in Bethlehem. 

The Christian Child. — You are about to come 
into the world, 0 Incarnate Word ! All the 
events and figures relative to Your advent are ac- 
complished ; all the marks and characters by which 
we were to recognize You, have been successively 
foretold by the prophets ; we have only to collect 



OF THE HOLT INFANCY. 



21 



them together and behold Your Divine portrait. 
It is as impossible to apply them to any other be- 
ing, as to mistake them in Your person. Appear, 
then, O Emanuel ! You who ' are the desire and 
hope of the earth ! Appear, and we shall be saved. 

The Infant Jesus. — Here I am, my child, the 
hour set apart by my Father for man's redemption 
has arrived. I long to deliver him from the dark- 
ness of sin and the slavery of his passions, and to 
bring him back to holiness, charity, and truth. 
But, alas ! men are far from realizing the shame 
and danger of their present state ! They do not, 
even in thought, apply to their Deliverer; they 
will not even receive Him at His birth ; and from 
the first moment of His life, the Son of Man will 
not have where to lay His head. 

The Christian Child. — O God, about to come 
into the world ! let not their blindness and hardness 
of heart hinder the designs of Your love! their 
great insensibility is the sad effect of that sin 
which You are coming to destroy. If it renders 
them unworthy of Your benefits, it is always wor- 
thy of Your mercy to grant them to them. No, 
all hearts are not closed to You ! Mine, weak and 
little as it is, belongs to You, Divine Jesus ! do 
not disdain to enter into it ! 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, your invitation 



22 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



touches me deeply, because the sentiment which 
inspires it is sincere. However, have I not fre- 
quently touched at the door of that very heart ; 
have I not often earnestly entreated it to open 
itself to my love, and give itself entirely to me ; 
to me, who alone can render it truly happy ! And 
have not pride, sensuality, and idleness combined 
together to say to ine : There is no room here for 
you ; or, even were I momentarily received, was I 
not quickly forced to take my departure. Is that 
heart changed. Must I still encounter the same 
humiliations and outrages? 

The Christian Child. — What a sorrowful re- 
membrance, dearest Lord ! is my past hardness of 
heart and inconstancy ! Why can I not blot out 
from among the number of my days, those in 
which- I had the misfortune to be unfaithful to 
You ! Forget, I beseech You, the faults of my youth, 
and my sins of ignorance : come and take up your 
abode in my soul : teach me in the way of truth, 
and direct me, because You are my God / 

PRACTICE. 

Desire to receive Jesus Christ. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Infant! do not delay to take birth in 
my soul. I long to establish You as its master. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



23 



Purify it — banish from it all vain desires and 
disorderly affections : plant Your virtues therein. 
Teach it to love nothing but what You love, and to 
seek nothing but what will lead it to imitate Your 
glorious example. Let my happiness, during this 
month, consist in contemplating, blessing, and in- 
voking You, in order that, formed by Your lessons, 
instructed and sanctified by the mysteries of Your 
holy infancy, I may attach myself to You closely, 
both for time and for eternity. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related by Bollandius, that the Most Holy 
Mary appeared one day to the Blessed Collette, 
whilst she was praying to her to intercede for 
sinners ; and that she showed her her Infant Son, 
all torn and cut to pieces. " My daughter," she 
said, " have compassion on me, and on my Son ; 
behold, how sinners treat him !" 



MEDITATION. 

FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. 

The Birth of Jesus Christ 
What joy, what happiness pervades the whole 
earth ! What has happened to cause it, my dear 
child ? What is the happy event which sheds so 



/ 



24 THE LITTLE MONTH 

striking an air of gladness and delight over Christ- 
mas day ? Why is the joy renewed each year, as 
if the cause which gave rise to it eighteen hun- 
dred years ago, dated only from yesterday ? The 
reason is, that the effects of it are perpetuated 
from age to age, and will last until the end of time. 
Although the greater number of men show them- 
selves little touched by the inestimable blessing of 
the Incarnation, nevertheless they receive the fruits 
thereof ; and when passion and frivolity give place 
to reflection, they are forced to recognize them ; 
and the blessed anniversary of the birth of Jesus 
Christ has more or less influence upon the most 
thoughtless souls, recalling to their minds that a 
Saviour came down from Heaven to bring them 
pardon and grace. Rejoice, therefore, dearest child, 
with all the other children of the Church ; rejoice 
at the good news she announces to you, of the 
birth of the Divine Liberator so long and anxiously 
expected. 

In order fully to understand the lawfulness of 
this joy, you must recall to mind all that you have 
already learned regarding the profound ignorance 
and corruption of human nature, and its powerless- 
ness to quit that sad state, when the Son of God 
deigned to appear upon earth. The first pages of 
Sacred History have taught you of the creation 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



25 



of mankind, of the light and holiness with which 
God's goodness encircled him, of his revolt, and 
of the terrible punishment which it brought upon 
Adam and all his posterity. You have, doubtless, 
remarked with what severity the weight of it has 
fallen upon human nature. Who could avoid being 
struck by the contemplation of the thick darkness 
and terrible errors into which it was drawn from its 
very origin ? As the world went on, forgetfulness 
of God, cruelty and all other vices and crimes 
grew and increased with fearful rapidity, and so 
completely perverted the hearts and minds of men, 
that they made for themselves idols and worship- 
ped them. Can you conceive, dear child, so humil- 
iating a frenzy, so prodigious a degradation ? Be- 
ings created to the image and likeness of God, 
prostrating themselves before unclean beasts ; rea- 
sonable creatures trembling before the works of 
their own hands. Hearts formed for virtue ador- 
ing monsters ! Still the facts are undeniable. Dur- 
ing four thousand years thick darkness covered 
the universe, and all men, according to the ex- 
pression of the Holy Scriptures, remained seated 
in the darkness and shadows of death. They would 
still have remained plunged therein, if their out- 
raged Creator had not taken pity upon His crea- 
tures; for no earthly power was able to deliver 
3 



26 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



them from their fallen state. " But," says one of the 
first Apologists of Christianity (St. Justin Martyr), 
"when the corruption of man had reached its 
climax ; when it was evident that death was the 
only recompense of sin ; when the time had come 
in which God was to manifest His power and good- 
ness, He gave His Son as the price cf our redemp- 
tion. Who, in fact, but the Son of God Himself 
could effect the justification of men, guilty and 
impious as they were ?" 

Is it not just, therefore, dear child, for us to 
rejoice and celebrate with canticles of joy and 
thanksgiving this birthday of our Saviour, since it 
brings us so many blessings ? We were enemies 
of God, He came to reconcile us to Himself ; w^e 
w r ere banished from Heaven, He came to open its 
portals to us ; we were slaves of sin and subject 
to the most shameful passions, He came to restore 
us to holiness and truth. And remark, my dear 
child, how, from the first moment of His birth, He 
offers us the only remedy which can cure us ; for 
He not only purposed to repair the outrage sin 
had offered to God, and to restore to us our rights 
to the heavenly inheritance, but He wished, above 
all, to reform our corrupt nature ; and by raising 
us from our deep humiliation, render us worthy 
of our new adoption ; and because pride, love of 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



pleasure, and attachment to earthly things, had 
turned men aside from the true end of their cre- 
ation, He wished, from the first moment of His 
life, to bring them back to it by the most striking 
of all lessons, the authority of His example. He 
was born in loneliness, poverty and suffering ; and 
never was cradle more surrounded by contempt, 
privation, and sorrow. The destitution of the 
manger, His moans and tears, and the simplicity 
of His first worshippers, teach us clearly the vanity 
of riches, rank, and worldly satisfactions, and call 
upon us to practise humility, self-denial, and penance. 
Whilst thanking the Infant Jesus to-day, for deign- 
ing to take flesh upon Him through love of you, 
beg Him to give you some share in the precious 
gifts which He brought into the world, and in 
those sublime virtues of which His Divine Infancy 
will offer you the most perfect examples. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the obscurity 
and poverty of His birth. 

The Child. — O Almighty God ! 0 Sovereign 
Master of the Universe ! how shall I celebrate Your 
mercy and goodness ? You have not only deigned 
to unite Your divinity to our miserable nature, but 
even to descend upon earth and live among us ! 
Will not all hearts be filled with joy on this happy 



28 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



day of Your birth, and burst out into songs of 
praise and thanksgiving ? But why, dearest Jesus, 
did You choose to be born in such poverty and to 
take upon You the form of an infant ? 

The Infant Jesus. — It was my love for men 
that led me to overstep the immense distance 
which separated me from their state and induced 
me to take flesh upon me. It was to win their 
love that I became an infant. But alas ! the hard- 
ness of the human heart ! Alas ! its truly great 
insensibility ! so great a sacrifice could neither 
touch nor move it ; men did not know how to love 
their God, lying in a manger and weeping over 
their sins. 

The Child. — It is but too true, dearest Lord ! 
that men have shown and still show themselves 
quite unworthy of Your love. But permit me to 
sav, 0 my loving Jesus ! all hearts are not closed 
against gratitude ; and mine, in spite of its many 
infidelities burns to make reparation to You for 
such great forgetfulness and contempt. 

The Infant Jesus. — The good dispositions of 
your heart, dear child, is the effect of my grace 
and affection for you ; consequently it is precious 
in my eyes ; but this passing emotion is far from 
those supernatural affections which I wish to find 
in my disciples, and which will animate them to 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



29 



imitate my example and to practice the virtues of 
my childhood. 

The Child. — But, dear Jesus ! when You deign 
to give them all, have You not the right to require 
all from Your poor creatures ? 

The Infant Jesus. — True, my child ! I have 
given all, since I gave myself for the salvation of 
men, since I only ask for the sacrifice of perishable 
goods which can never render them happy. I im- 
pose nothing upon them which I have not pre- 
viously undertaken, and yet that it is which es- 
tranges them from my service. They fear to walk 
in the footsteps of a God born in poverty, suffer- 
ing, and tears. Answer me truly now, has not the 
desire of riches, honors, and pleasure, already pene- 
trated into your soul ? 

The Child.- — Alas, too often, my poor suffering 
and humble Lord ! too often already my rising 
desires have been opposed to Your adorable exam- 
ple. But I will stifle them and imitate You. I 
will no longer sigh after those riches which You 
rejected, nor after earthly rank which You despised, 
nor after those pleasures over which You wept. 
Divine Infant, strengthen in my heart these dispo- 
sitions which You have placed there, and do not 
suffer any thing to separate me from You. 
3* 



30 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRACTICE. 

Unite yourself to the virtues practised by the 
Infant Jesus at His birth. 

PRAYER. 

Sweet and amiable Infant Jesus, how it confuses 
me to see myself so far removed from Your spirit 
and virtues ! Grant me, I beseech You, this grace, 
that Your obedience may be henceforth the prin- 
ciple of my conduct, and the rule of all the actions 
of my life. Teach me to become humble at the 
sight of Your lowliness, poor in view of Your des- 
titution, patient in view of Your sufferings, peni- 
tent at the sight of Your tears. You came down 
from the throne of Your glory to the dust of the 
earth, in order to unite Yourself to me ; draw me 
from the earth up to Your throne, to unite me 
with You forever. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related in the chronicles of the Cistercians, 
that a certain monk of Brabant, who was travel- 
ling on Christmas night, as he passed through a 
forest heard a cry as it were of a new-born infant. 
He approached the place whence he heard the 
cries, and saw a beautiful infant in the middle of 
the snow, who was crying and trembling with the 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 31 

cold. Moved to compassion, the monk dismounted 
immediately from his horse, and approaching the 
infant, said: "0 my child, how is it that you are 
thus abandoned to weep and die in the midst of 
this snow ?" ^.nd he heard a voice answer him : 
"Alas! how can I help crying, whilst I see myself 
thus abandoned by all, and that no* one receives 
me or has compassion upon me ?" And having 
said this, he disappeared, giving us to understand 
that he was our Redeemer, who by this vision 
meant to reprove the ingratitude of men, who 
having seen Him born for their sake in a stable, 
leave Him to cry there without even pitying Him. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXVI. OF DECEMBER. 

Joy of the Blessed Virgin at the Birth of Jesus 
Christ. » 

Since you sincerely love the Infant Jesus, dear 
child, and earnestly desire to honor the first mys- 
teries of His Incarnation, you cannot be indifferent 
toward Our Blessed Lady ; and your piety must 
lead you to desire to offer your congratulations to 
that privileged Creature, whom your Divine Re- 



32 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



deemer chose as His Mother. Certainly, if His 
happy birth caused such lively transports of de- 
light among the choirs of angels, what ineffable 
joy must have filled the soul of His Glorious 
Mother, when she was enabled to contemplate the 
Desired of All Nations, and to feast her eyes and 
heart, at leisure, with the sight of her dear and 
adorable Son ! It was not merely as a daughter 
of Abraham that she was ravished to have before 
her eyes that Messiah whom the Father of the 
Faithful had so ardently longed to see, it was also 
as a mother ; and thus zeal for the glory of God 
and the salvation of souls, united itself to her ma- 
ternal feelings, in order to fill up the measure of 
her happiness. 

Have you ever considered, dear child, what 
must have been the sorrow of just souls, under 
the old law, at the sight of idolatry extending its 
ravages among all people and nations of the earth, 
and banishing the knowledge and love of the true 
God from among them ? You may judge of it by 
the sad feeling you experience in beholding those 
children who, neglected by their parents and given 
up to their own evil inclination, not only are igno- 
rant of the name of God their Creator, but even 
in the age of innocence itself, are already perverted 
by guilt. Therefore, with what sighs and lively 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



33 



desires did the Patriarchs look forward to the 
Deliverer of Nations! You can form some idea 
of it from those ardent prayers and pressing invo- 
cations which the Church so solemnly utters dur- 
ing the days which precede the birth of Jesus 
Christ : 0 Lord and Leader of the House of 
Israel! she cries; 0 Root of Jesse! Thou who 
art as a Standard raised on high to gather all 
people together, before whom kings keep silence, 
come to deliver us ; hasten, do not delay. If His 
coming caused such religious impatience, what 
words must His presence have inspired ! What 
transports of joy must it have enkindled in their 
souls ! And what were all the holy men of the old 
law, compared to Mary ? How can we liken their 
zeal and revelations to the charity and knowledge 
with which the Queen of Angels was filled ! It is 
not only the desire and expectation which over- 
whelmed her with joy, it is the accomplishment 
of the promise ; not the hope, but the possession. 
She is happy because she sees with her own eyes 
Him whom many prophets and just men desired 
tc see ; because she holds Him in her arms and 
presses Him to her heart, and recognizes in Him 
the glory, the salvation, and the redemption of 
Israel. By the light which He sheds around, she 
sees the night of falsehood and error dispelled, the 



34 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



reign of sin ended, that of virtue and justice begun, 
• and God, remembering His mercy, accomplishing 
the promise made to Abraham and to his posterity. 
What renders her joy greater, is the thought that 
she has hastened the happy moment of deliver- 
ance, by her fervor and humility ; that the Light 
of the World has come forth from her womb ; and 
finally, that, as Mother of the Incarnate Word, she 
has powerfully contributed to the glory of God 
and the salvation of men. At this thought, which 
the presence of the Divine Infant unceasingly re- 
vives, Her soul doth magnify the Lord, and her 
spirit doth rejoice in God her Saviour. 

Accustom yourself, dear child, to contemplate 
the Blessed Virgin throughout all the mysteries 01 
the Holy Infancy ; and in gratitude for all the 
sacrifices which our deliverance and reconciliation 
with God have cost her, endeavor to cultivate a 
true and tender devotion to her, faithfully serve 
and invoke her, and, according to the spirit of the 
different solemnities instituted in her honor, make 
it your happiness to share in her joys and her 
sorrows. 

Colloquy with the Blessed Virgin upon the joy 
which she felt at the birth of the Saviour. 

The Child. — Glorious Virgin Mary, what joy 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



35 



for you to see those days of grace shine forth 
which were so earnestly longed for, and which the 
Patriarchs could only behold from afar, to con- 
template Him in whom all the tribes of the 
earth were to be blessed. What consolation for 
your faith, what a source of pious joy for you ! 

The Blessed Virgin. — It is true that, pene- 
trated with the glory of God and the love which 
is His due, my soul experienced great joy, from 
the truly worthy adorations and glory which the 
Divine child rendered to His Majesty. I united 
myself to the pure homage and burning desires of 
His heart, in order to obtain the renovation and 
sanctification of the hearts of men. 

The Child. — Although I seem cold and indif- 
ferent for the Divine honor, and the spiritual good 
of souls, yet it appears to me that my heart feels 
something of these holy affections. But how can 
I know, even in the most imperfect degree, any 
thing of those of which your motherly heart was 
the temple ! 

The Blessed Virgin. — Doubtlessly, no created 
being could ever have shared in the fulness of my 
joy, nor even conceived its extent, because my title 
of Mother of God is incommunicable. But it is 
just, my child, that it should be participated in 
by all Christians, especially upon the Anniversary 



36 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



of the day upon which the Son of God came into 
the world to free them from everlasting death and 
to give them a title to the heavenly inheritance ! 

The Child. — O Holy and glorious Mother of 
my Lord ! / will therefore rejoice in my Lord, 
and shout with joy before God my Saviour. I 
will rejoice because He was born of you, and be- 
cause His birth formed your happiness and that of 
all mankind. You are truly blessed, and your joy 
like your glory is a cause of gratitude to all hearts 
which love you. 

PRACTICE. 

Cultivate earnestly a true devotion to Mary. 

PRAYER. 

O holy and blessed Mother of God, permit me 
to share in your joy, since you are also my mother, 
and I am your child. Suffer me to adore your 
Divine Son with you, to offer Him my homage, 
and to give myself entirely to Him, in order to do 
in all things His holy will. Beg Him to be to me 
a Saviour, and to enable me to draw near to Him 
to partake of the blessings of his birth. Happy 
are you, O Blessed Virgin ! since you bore in your 
chaste womb, the Lord and Creator of the world. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



37 



We have received Him through you, obtain for 
us by your assistance, to possess Him eternally. 
Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

The Abbe Grou, in his " Interior of Jesus and 
Mary," tells us, that the first acts of our Blessed 
Lady on beholding her Divine Infant, were to 
adore Him profoundly as her God, to embrace 
Him tenderly as her Son, to envelop His delicate 
frame in swaddling clothes, to shelter Him as far 
as she could from the cold air, and to lay Him on 
a little straw in a crib. Her happiness was intense 
when she clasped Him in her arms ; when she 
pressed Him to her heart ; when she tenderly 
embraced Him and fed Him with her substance. 
Her felicity was profound when Jesus looked upon 
her in His love, and rewarded her with one of His 
heavenly smiles ; when His little hands caressed 
her and His infant arms encircled her. The 
caresses of Jesus instilled ineffable sweetness in 
the heart of His Mother. But with perfect dis- 
engagement she received those mute expressions 
of His love, never appropriating, but referring 
them unreservedly to their author. 
4 



38 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXVII. OF DECEMBER. 

The Angels celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ 

Possibly, dear child, you have never studied 
with attention, nor heard any lengthened instruc- 
tions upon the Holy Angels, their existence, the 
honor which is due to thern, their employments, 
their ministry, and their relations to men. Never- 
theless, this Article of Faith is of great importance, 
since, being placed under their protection here 
below and confided to their care, we are one day 
to be admitted into their blessed society and to 
share in their glory. One of the most precious 
among the gifts of Divine Mercy is undoubted- 
ly the Communion, or spiritual intercourse which 
He has established between the celestial inhabit- 
ants and man. Notwithstanding the excellence of 
their nature, they undertake to defend and protect 
us ; they present our prayers and wants to God, 
preserve us from dangers, assist us in our combats 
with the enemy of our souls, upbraid us secretly 
for our infidelities, in a word, accomplish with all 
the zeal of boundless charity, the order that they 
have received to keep us in all our ways. For that 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



39 



reason the angels caused the heavens to ring with 
the sound of their celestial harmony at the birth 
of the Saviour. The reparation of the outrage 
offered to the Divine Majesty by sin, and the rec- 
onciliation with human nature announced there- 
by filled them with rapture ; and their joyous 
canticle was but the expression of their zeal for 
God's glory and their love for mankind. 

Yes, dear child, the existence of angels is a 
dogma of Catholic Faith ; it is attested by almost 
every page of the Sacred writings. To spare you 
quotations and researches ; it is enough to recall 
to your minds the history of Hagar in the wilder- 
ness, of Tobias, and that of the three Children in 
the fiery furnace, but above all, that sentence of 
our Lord which should inspire all young hearts 
with such loving confidence : " See that you des- 
pise not one of these little ones : for I say to you 
that their Angels in heaven always see the face 
of my Father who is in heaven" The angels 
are pure spirits, that is to say, they have not, 
like us, souls united to bodies; therefore their 
nature is superior to ours. They have further, 
the ascendency over us by their natural properties, 
and by all the advantages resulting therefrom, 
their subtlety, their quickness of perception, and 
the extent of their knowledge. God wished to 



40 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



manifest the fulness of his power and the riches 
of His goodness in their creation. One of the 
Fathers calls them the first-born children of God, 
another, the living images and representatives of 
the Divinity. They are, in fact, like a mirror 
which reflects His adorable perfections. However, 
notwithstanding their high estate, they could 
merit or forfeit God's favor, and they were only 
to be confirmed in grace, and settled in eternal 
glory after having passed through trials prepared 
for them. Many of them, seduced by Lucifer, 
yielded to pride and revolted against' God. Their 
punishment was swift and terrible ; they were pre- 
cipitated from high heaven into the depths of ever- 
lasting woe. Those are called Evil Spirits or 
Devils. From hatred toward God, and through 
envy of men who are destined to fill their vacant 
places in heaven, they cease not to lay snares for 
them and strive to render them their accomplices 
in crime, in order to make them their companions 
in eternal misery. 

Those who remained faithful and persevered in 
righteousness were established forever in heaven and 
could never fall from grace. They are called Good 
Angels or, good spirits. These are they who come 
to our assistance and defend us against the assaults 
of the devil; they love us as their future fellow- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 41 

citizens and rejoice over our victories. The Fathers, 
relying upon the Sacred Writings, distinguish nine 
orders of blessed spirits, whose different names you 
will find in the Preface of the Mass. Their con- 
stant occupation in heaven is unceasingly to con- 
template the Divine perfections, their happiness is 
unalterable ; to praise, to adore, to love, and to 
possess the sovereign good will be their blessed 
employment throughout all eternity. They are 
charged with the execution of the designs of God's 
mercy on earth ; He has made them our guardians 
and conductors; this is the foundation of the 
mutual joy and charity which will reign eternally 
between the angels and the elect, they were em- 
ployed in the accomplisment of the principal mys- 
teries of the Incarnation. You behold them this 
day descending from heaven to celebrate the birth 
of the Saviour. Unite yourself, dear child, to 
their pious canticles, render yourself worthy to 
hear them hereafter in holy Sion. In order to 
attain that end, endeavor, from this time forth, to 
imitate the innocence, piety, and gentleness of the 
angels. As smoke puts bees to flight, and bad 
smells drive away doves, so, says an ancient writer, 
does the infection of sin cause our Guardian Angel 
to depart from us. 
4* 



42 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the Angelic 
Hymn. 

The Child. — 0 my Saviour ! I envy the happi- 
ness of the shepherds who were permitted to lis- 
ten to the songs of the angels, celebrating Your 
birth ! What consoling news ! How that celes- 
tial harmony must have gladdened their hearts. 

The Infant Jesus. — Never can the sweetest and 
most melodious sounds give persons a just idea of 
the ravishing songs of Heaven. But, dear child, 
your envy should be less excited by the charm of 
those angelic voices, than at the approach and sight 
of the Incarnate Mercy which they announced. 
4 The Child. — Divine Jesus, those sacred melo- 
dies seem sweet to me only because they called 
the shepherds to Your manger, and celebrated the 
most wonderful gift the Celestial Father could be- 
stow upon man. It is Your birth which is the 
subject of my joy : You, You alone, adorable In- 
fant ! are the object of my wishes and my love. 

The Infant Jesus. — I am the Creator both of 
angels and of men; however, I raised man after 
his fall, but not the angels who sinned. I did not 
take upon myself the angelical, but human nature. 
If, then, the angelic choirs celebrated my birth with 
such lively demonstrations of joy, what sentiments 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



43 



of gratitude and love should animate the souls of 
those to whom it was to restore salvation, life, 
and happiness. 

The Child. — 0 King of G-lory ! it is not only 
Your angels who are called upon to celebrate Your 
wonders : Bless the Lord, therefore, all ye His an- 
gels, glorify Him, all ye ministers of His who do 
His pleasure. And in order that our voices may 
mingle in their songs of praise, purify them, O 
Divine Infant ! and with our minds and hearts we 
will glorify You with them, and bless You forever, 
world without end. 

PRACTICE. 

Reanimate your devotion toward the Holy An- 
gels. 

PRAYER. 

0 pure and heavenly Spirits, who formed the 
court of the King of Kings, and faithfully accom- 
plished His adorable will, obtain for us to imitate 
your promptness of obedience. Blessed Spirits who, 
beholding heretofore the Divine Majesty unveiled, 
contemplate it this day with pious astonishment, 
covered with a veil of flesh, and reduced to the 
state of Infancy, obtain for us some share in 
your affections and intelligence, in order that, pene- 
trated with joy at the sight of the immense love 



44 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



of the Incarnate Word, we may glorify Him by 
our works, and be made worthy to sing His praises 
eternally in Heaven. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

The very night of the Redeemer's Birth, the 
Angel of God announced the great event to some 
shepherds in the vicinity, who kept watch over 
their flocks, telling them that a Saviour was born 
to them, whom they should recognize by the swad- 
dling clothes in which he was enveloped, and the 
manger on which he reposed. At the same mo- 
ment they heard the melody of a multitude of the 
heavenly host, who sang, " Glory to God in the 
highest ; and on earth peace to men of good-will." 
(Luke ii., 14.) 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXVIII. OF DECEMBER. 

The Infant Jesus renders glory to God. 

You had good reason, dear child, for the envy 
which you felt yesterday toward those happy shep- 
herds, who were directed by the songs of angels 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



45 



to the Manger of Bethlehem, and who, docile to 
the interior voice which called them still more se- 
cretly, had the happiness to be the first to adore 
the Incarnate God. Earth had never heard similar 
sounds. Angels had frequently visited it, hut had 
never before sung aloud the Divine praises. But 
remember, you are destined to hear the same sweet 
songs with which the air then resounded, and, 
what is still more consoling, you will one day join 
in them among the blessed company of the elect in 
Heaven. Thus, you have now no cause to envy 
either the shepherd adorers, or those happy spirits 
whose glorious transports you will share in here- 
after. But, dear child, we are now called upon to 
endeavor fully to comprehend the sense of that 
heavenly hymn ; and since God has permitted it to 
reach us, it is our pious and consolatory duty to 
meditate upon, and search into its meaning. 

This glorious canticle, which is sung at the be- 
ginning of Mass, and is styled in prayer books the 
Angelical Hymn, is not exclusively composed of 
the words uttered by those blessed spirits. The 
Church, in order to explain them, and better adapt 
them to the understanding of her children, has 
added to them expressions setting forth her grati- 
tude, happiness, and love. It is truly her canticle 
of adoration, her hymn of joy. For that reason 



46 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



she forbids its use during her times of mourning 
and penance. But, sublime as are the invocations 
and praises she has added to it, they serve but as 
the development of those words, Glory to God in 
the highest: and on earth peace to men of good-will. 
When, therefore, dear child, you hear them sung, 
or, when you utter them in private, beg the Infant 
Jesus to grant you the fervor of the angels. And 
in order to penetrate its meaning this day, implore 
the angels to obtain light and grace for you. 

To understand clearly how the Saviour's birth 
restored to God that glory of which sin had de- 
prived Him, it is necessary, dear child, grave as 
the explanation may seem to you, to try to form a 
just idea of what is meant by the glory of God. 
To speak correctly, not only does all glory belong- 
to God alone, since to Him alone appertains good- 
ness, wisdom, and power; but He only can wor- 
thily glorify Himself, since He alone can fully un- 
derstand Himself. His essential glory results from 
the greatness, the sovereign independence, in a 
word, from the perfection of His being. It can, not 
only, never be taken from Him, but also never suf- 
fer the slightest alteration. He is ; therein lies 
His glory : He knows Himself; that is His glory: 
He loves Himself; that constitutes at once His 
happiness and glory. He could create millions of 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



47 



worlds, and His glory would not be increased. 
Men and demons may league themselves together 
to outrage Him ; His essential glory will not be 
diminished. God abides in inaccessible light, says 
St. Paul ; but He has created beings around Him 
destined to manifest and glorify His perfections, 
That manifestation and the praises resulting from 
it, are what theologians call the accidental glory 
of God, since it is not the necessary result of His 
nature or Divine perfections, but of His exterior 
works. This glory is ever rendered to Him by all 
irrational beings, because they always represent or 
show forth some one of His perfections, and thus 
accomplish the end of their creation. This is ex- 
emplified in the magnificent words of the Psalmist: 
The Heavens show forth the glory of God, and the 
firmament declare th the work of His hands. Day 
unto day uttereth speech, and night to night shew- 
eth knowledge. 

The insect hidden in the grass adores Him as 
perfectly in his simple way as does the lion who 
shakes the desert by his roarings ; and the humble 
plant which lives but a day ; as well as the cedar 
of Libanus. However, in the midst of this har- 
mony of the universe, God, it appears, could not 
receive that praise which was His due, until He 
created a being capable of knowing and loving 



48 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Him. He therefore formed man to His image and 
likeness, and established him as the interpreter, as 
the priest of nature, near his Almighty Father. 
All created things, says St. Austin, call upon man 
to honor God in their behalf. You know, dear 
child, that sin had overthrown man's glorious 
occupation. By the mere fact of his disobedience, 
he had not only violated God's glory, but he be- 
came incapable of ever repairing his fault. Thus, 
he, who had been created to know Him, in pun- 
ishment of his pride, was plunged in the darkness 
of ignorance, and lost all knowledge of his God ; 
created to adore Him, he was drawn into idolatry 
through the slavery of his passions ; created to 
love Him alone, he was detached from Him, and 
turned by his depravity of heart toward the love 
of earthly things. 

The birth of the Saviour put an end to this mis- 
ery and sorrow. It restored to God that glory of 
which disobedience and sin had robbed Him, and 
that in a superabundant manner, since the Word, 
by uniting Himself to our miserable nature, offered 
the humiliation and sufferings of a God in expia- 
tion of the pride and sin of mankind, and by rais- 
ing it from its fall, re-established it in the knowl- 
edge, service, and love of its Creator. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



49 



Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the Glory 
which He rendered to God. 

The Child. — O my Lord ! from Your first en- 
trance into the world, You glorified t Your Divine 
Father by Your adorations, Your humiliations, 
and by that excessive obedience which I am so 
little disposed to imitate. 

The Infant Jesus. — It was in order to glorify 
God that I took upon myself flesh, and became 
subject unto death ; it was to make amends for 
your pride that I descended to the lowest degree 
of humility ; was born of an earthly mother; wept 
in a manger ; was wrapped in swaddling clothes ; 
and even took the form of a slave. 

The Child. — Is it then true, Divine Jesus! that 
You underwent all these humiliations in order to 
expiate the crime of fallen man ? I, too, have part 
in that crime ; vanity, self-esteem, desire of earthly 
love, were the earliest inclinations of my heart. 
You seem to seek for the lowest depths of humil- 
ity, to hide Your greatness; and I, who am but 
dust and ashes, strive to number myself among 
the great ones of the earth. 

The Infant Jesus. — If the lowliness of my 
birth has commenced to enlighten your eyes, and 
5 



50 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



touch your heart ; if you understand the sacrifices 
which it imposes upon you, give glory to God. 

The Child. — God of goodness and virtue! 
how can I, young as I am, weak and powerless 
for good, scarcely capable of one pure desire — 
how can I, I ask, render glory to God ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Courage, dear child ; He 
only asks for praise suited to your capacity. Con- 
secrate to Him the first years of your heart, 
which was created for God alone, and which He 
only can render happy. Thus you can glorify 
Him by the innocence of your life, by your mild- 
ness, piety and charity, and by retracing in your 
conduct all those virtues of which My life offers 
you so touching a model. 

PRACTICE. 

Ask zeal for the glory of God. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Infant, through whom the faithful glorify 
Your Father, although You observe such profound 
silence, I unite myself to all the adorations and 
praises which Your soul unceasingly renders to 
God, from Your first entrance into the world. In 
spite of my misery, weakness and poverty, I bless 
and glorify Him in, and with You. I dare to ask, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



51 



and I hope to obtain all. He has overwhelmed 
us, through You, with all spiritual blessings. He 
ceases not to bless us in and by You, in order that 
we may glorify Him on earth and possess Him 
eternally in Heaven. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is mentioned in the life of Brother Benedict 
Lopez, that while he remained in the army, he led 
a life stained with sins. One day he entered a 
church in Travancor, and saw an image of Mary 
with the Infant Jesus. Our Lord placed before 
his eyes his abandoned life. At the sight of his 
sins he almost despaired of pardon ; but turning 
to Mary, with tears in his eyes he commended 
himself to her, and he then perceived that the 
Holy Infant also was weeping, and that His tears 
were falling on the altar ; so much so, that it was 
observed by others, who hastened to collect them 
in a cloth. Soon after this, Benedict, full of con- 
trition, forsook the world, and became a brother- 
coadjutor of the Company of Jesus, where he lived 
and died with the greatest devotion to the. Sacred 
Infancy of Jesus Christ. 



52 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXIX. OF DECEMBER. 

The Infant Jesus brings Peace to Men. 

All the oracles which had announced the com- 
ing of the Messiah, had represented it as the sig- 
nal and era of universal peace and concord. " In 
those days," says Isaias, " the people shall turn 
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears 
into sickles. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb ; 
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; the 
calf and the lion and the sheep shall abide to- 
gether, and a little child shall lead them." Under 
these agreeable similitudes, dear child, the prophets 
delighted to depict the union of all people of the 
earth, and the gathering of all hearts under the 
law of love. That prophecy has had its literal 
accomplishment. At the time of oar Lord's birth, 
all the world was at peace; and that general peace 
which Divine Providence had arranged in order to 
prepare the way for Christianity, and to facilitate 
the preaching of the Gospel, was but the image 
and emblem of that interior peace which sin had 
destroyed, and which the Prince of Peace, as the 
Prophet Isaias calls Him, could alone re-establish. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



53 



Doubtless, dear child, you have frequently vis- 
ited in families where the fear of God reigns su- 
preme, and where consequently paternal authority 
is reverently obeyed. There order, peace and 
union of hearts have their abode. The parents 
are good and condescending; the children submis- 
sive and affectionate, anticipating all the wishes of 
their elders, and making the accomplishment of 
duty their happiness. But perhaps, also, you have 
met with some children who, shutting their hearts 
against the influence of religion, no longer look 
upon the authors of their being as the representa- 
tives of the Divinity in their regard. Conse- 
quently, they continually insult their parents by 
their unfeeling conduct. On one side you will 
hear threats, reproaches, and sometimes curses; 
on the other, tears, murmuring, revolt, and too 
often, criminal outrages; and thus they keep up 
a constant state of warfare. Such, my child, 
is a true picture of the deplorable state into 
which sin had plunged us. Man was at war against 
God, whose power and goodness he had outraged, 
and in whom he saw only an irritated Master and 
an implacable Judge ; he was at war with his 
fellow-man, whom he found blinded by passions 
and disorderly inclinations; but, above all, he was 
at war with himself, in the most cruel manner. 
5* 



54 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Drawn toward truth, he was the sport of delusions ; 
charmed by the sweet aspect of virtue, he was led 
astray by the most shameful vices, seeking for 
happiness, and never finding it, tormented by the 
thought of his immortality, and seeing nothing 
beyond the grave; finding nothing but enigmas 
and contradictions, without as well as within. 
Such, dear child, was the condition of the human 
race ; to such a state had sin reduced it. Such 
was the triple war which He, who is styled by one 
of the prophets, The Peace, came to put an end 
to. He reconciled us with God by the remission 
of our sins ; with man, through the law of love 
which He spread abroad into our hearts ; and with 
ourselves, by His grace which He communicated 
to us, and which He unceasingly renews and keeps 
alive in our souls, by means of prayer and the 
Sacraments. 

Endeavor, dear child, to keep carefully this Di- 
vine peace, this calm of a pure and innocent heart, 
which makes amends for all else, and whose loss 
could not be recompensed by all this world's goods. 
Remark, well, that this peace of Jesus Christ, as 
St. Paul calls it, is only promised to men of good- 
will; that is to say, to souls docile to the law of 
God, and to the inspirations of His holy spirit. 
What a misfortune to have a bad will, an evil con- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



55 



science, a mind closed against Faith, and a heart 
revolted against God and His holy law ! What un- 
happiness never to dare to raise our eyes to heav- 
en, nor to look into our own heart, no longer to 
love God, nor to pray to Him, nor to call Him our 
Father, and to find our accusers in the image of 
Mary, the sight of the Cross, the remembrance of 
the crib of our Saviour themselves ! Dearest child f 
earnestly pray for, and keep at all hazard, that 
peace promised to men of good-will. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the peace 
announced by the Angels. 

The Child. — 0 my Saviour ! I had never yet 
understood the sense of the consoling words by 
which Your holy angels announced man's recon- 
ciliation with God, and I did not comprehend why 
they were a subject of such great joy to earth. 

The Infant Jesus. — But, my child, it is, how- 
ever, easy to understand that peace is the best gift 
to earth, the fruit of my Incarnation and death; 
for that reason at my resurrection, as at my birth, 
I wished solemnly to proclaim that peace, which 
could only be obtained by my sacrifice ; but in 
giving it to my disciples, I did not give it as the 
world gave it. 



56 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



The Child. — Divine Jesus ! deign to explain 
Your words to me. 

The Infant Jesus. — The peace which the world 
promises is not a true peace ; it does not reach the 
heart, and cannot defend it against the evils of 
life, nor from the fear of death. The gratification 
of the passions, and the enjoyments of the world 
may lull and intoxicate the soul, but they can never 
bestow upon it that calm and perfect repose which 
she finds only in God. 

The Child. — Ah, my Divine Master, notwith- 
standing my inconstancy and inexperience, I have 
already more than once noticed that the gratifi- 
cation of a desire does not prevent its reappearance. 
Often after having obtained what I ardently longed 
for, my heart was only more unhappy and dis- 
turbed. What then must I do to attain true peace 3 

The Infant Jesus. — If you sincerely wish to 
obtain and preserve peace of mind, my dear child, 
you must resist your passions, strive against your 
own weakness, seek for grace, and count firmly 
upon its assistance : and never act against your 
conscience. No, for my prophet tells you : He 
that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep, 
and abundance of peace to him who Jceepeth the law. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



57 



PRACTICE. 

Watch over your heart to keep it ever in peace, 

PRAYER. 

Divine Jesus, who brought peace into the world 
by our reconciliation with your Father, and who 
causes it to reign in the hearts of Your faithful peo- 
ple, I beseech You, by Your adorable Infancy, never 
permit me to have the misfortune to lose it by sin. 
Therefore, 0 my Saviour, grant me the graces of 
prayer and vigilance, in order that, protected by 
Your mercy and continually on the watch against 
temptation, I may never allow myself to be sur- 
prised by the enemy of salvation, but, remaining 
ever attached to Your law, I may walk with confi- 
dence in the ways of Peace. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

Father Patrignani relates, that there was in Mes- 
sina, a child of noble birth called Domenic Ansa- 
lone, who was in the habit of going often to a cer- 
tain church to visit an image of Mary, who held 
in her arms the Infant Jesus, of which he became 
quite enamored. When Domenic lay at the point 
of death, he implored his parents with great earn- 
estness to bring the image of the beloved child 
into his room. His wishes were satisfied ; full of 



58 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



delight, he placed it on his bed, and looking at it 
in the most loving manner, and now and then turn- 
ing to the Infant, he said, " My Jesus, have pity 
on me !" then turning to the bystanders, " Be- 
hold," he said, " behold how beautiful is my little 
Saviour !" On the last night of his life, he called 
his parents, and in their presence he first said to 
the Holy Infant, " My Jesus, I leave Thee my 
heir." And then he begged his father and mother 
to employ a certain small sum of money which he 
had, in having nine Masses celebrated after his 
death, and with the rest to make a handsome robe 
for his Infant heir. Before he died, he raised his 
eyes to heaven with a look of joy, and said, " Oh, 
how beautiful ! how beautiful is my Lord !" and 
saying this, he expired. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



59 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXX. OF DECEMBER. * 

The Infant Jesus draws the Shepherds to His 
Manger. 

I will suppose you, dear child, completely un- 
acquainted with Gospel History, and some one 
asking you this question : " When G-od deigned 
to be born into the world, what men, think you, 
did He choose for the first witnesses of His com- 
ing and the first adorers of His sacred person ? 
Your thoughts would certainly turn toward those 
personages who, by their profession, knowledge, 
and constant study, would naturally be prepared 
for that great event, and capable of supporting 
the news of its occurrence by the authority of 
their names and learning, and you would answer: 
" The Doctors of the Law, and the Chief Priests 
who held in their hands the Prophetical writings 
which announce its approach." This would seem 
true, wise, and sound reasoning if there was a 
question of a purely human event. But since it 
refers to the work of God, to the prodigy of His 
love and mercy, we cannot answer it by the rules 



60 



THE LITTLE MOXTH 



of human prudence. You speak as a man, dear 
child, and God acts as God. 

Remark that the principal end of the Incarna- 
tioa, and consequently of the birth of the Re- 
deemer, was to expiate and atone for the sin of 
pride, and to smooth the road of humility for 
man by His example. Therefore, from His en- 
trance into the world, all in and about him should 
breathe of humility, His parents, His favorites, and 
His heralds. Knowledge pufTeth up the heart, 
says the Apostle, and all those masters in Israel so 
proud of their learning, who, notwithstanding the 
splendor of His works, and Divine teachings, re- 
pulsed a Messiah who did not fulfil their carnal 
desires and earthly hopes, would they, think you. 
have recognized him in a poor infanj surrounded 
by all the evidences of poverty ? Undoubtedly 
not ! it could only be done at first by poor, simple, 
and unpretentious men. Besides, men of rank 
and learning undertaking to proclaim the marvels 
attending His birth would have created distrust, 
and seemed only to be seeking to bring themselves 
into notice ; but who would think of contradict- 
ing the simple and natural story of the shepherds ] 
The fulness of their joy shone forth clearly, their 
words were guileless, and their testimony found 
its strength in their innocent simplicity. It was 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



61 



not the first time Angels had conversed with men ; 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been favored with 
the visits of celestial spirits, and their descendants 
should certainly be disposed to believe the imita- 
tors of their manner of life when they announced 
that the earth was again to behold a Shepherd 
King who was the Son of David. 

But listen attentively, dear child, to the account 
given by the Sacred Historian ; there is no word 
in the Gospel which is not deeply instructive. It 
was in the designs of Divine Mercy and Wisdom 
that the shepherds were first told of the good 
news of the Advent of the Messiah. Suddenly, 
in the middle of the night, as they were watching 
their flocks, an Angel of the Lord appeared unto 
them, and the brightness of Divine light shone 
round about them, and they were sore afraid ; from 
whence came their fear ? Should not the sight of 
the angel who was charged with announcing such 
consoling news to them have caused joy rather 
than alarm ? Oh, dear child, man, since his fall 
into sin, beheld only with fear that Supreme 
Majesty whom he had offended ; any manifestation 
of His Divinity filled him at first with dread, but 
the angel reassured them. Fear not, said he, 
for behold, I bring you good tidings of great 
joy, that shall be to all the people. For this 
6 



62 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ, 
the Lord, in the city of David. Mark well, in 
that place so long indicated by the Prophets. 
And this shall be a sign unto you : you shall 
find the infant wrapped in swaddling-clothes, 
and laid in a manger. Can it be possible, dear 
child, that such are the marks by which Christ, 
the Lord, is to be recognized ? The Word ; the 
joy of all the heavenly hosts to be found in the 
person of an Infant who speaks only by his tears ; 
the Uncreated Light hidden under swaddling- 
clothes! Yes, there they will recognize Him. 
The Infant God who has called them will give 
them light to understand the mystery, and will re- 
veal to them by these singular signs which have 
been indicated to them, what He is by nature and 
what He has made Himself through grace. God 
and man, the little Infant of a day, and yet the 
Father of Eternity. Beg from the Infant Jesus, 
dear child, the innocence, simplicity, and humble 
docility of the shepherds : and if you seek Him 
like them, you will find Him as they did, and He 
will reveal Himself to your heart. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



63 



Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the Visit af 
the Angel to the Shepherds. 

The Child. — How rejoiced I am, dear Master, 
to find You, upon Your first entrance into the 
world, calling around You the weak, the poor, and 
the ignorant ones of the earth ! Such admirable 
condescension leads me to hope that You will not 
despise my homage. But, even while adoring, I 
cannot quite understand that choice, apparently 
so opposed to the execution of Your designs. 

The Infant Jesus. — Oh child of Adam ! my 
thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways 
are not my ways. Do not lose sight of the fact 
that I came into the world to cure that great 
wound of the human heart, namely, pride ; to that 
vice I opposed the humility and poverty of my 
crib, and I chose my first worshippers and my 
first preachers as, later, I chose my disciples and 
apostles, from among the poor and ignorant. 

The Child. — 0 Lord, I know that all instru- 
ments are equal in Your hands, and that by a ray 
of Divine light You could enlighten the minds of 
the shepherds and make eloquent the tongues of 
children when it pleases You. But why were 
they so fearful at the sight of the heavenly mes- 
senger? It appears to me that I should be de- 



64 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



lighted to see one of Your angels shining with 
light 

The Infant Jesus. — Ah, my child ! the happi- 
ness of hearing the voices of my angels and obey- 
ing their inspirations is preferable to that of be- 
holding them. So long as innocence reigns in 
your soul, they will not fail to visit it ; and the 
holy joy which you feel in the practice of goodness 
will be the effect of their presence. Bat if you 
become unfaithful — 

The Child. — 0 God, the everlasting joy of the 
just, do not permit me ever to force my guardian 
angel to depart from me, nor ever to have the 
misfortune to displease him. I will faithfully fol- 
low the road he will mark out for me, and study 
attentively the signs he will give me by which to 
find and recognize you. 

The Infant Jesus. — The way is already marked 
out ; but few walk therein ! innumerable multi- 
tudes abandon it ! Never forsake it, dear child, 
come into the Church, the true Bethlehem, there 
you will find your God, who is continually born 
anew for you on the altar of His sacrifice. He 
reposes night and day in His tabernacle, as He 
rested in His manger, hidden under the veils of 
the Sacrament, as He was at His birth under swad- 
dling clothes. But His humiliations will only 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 65 

render Him dearer to you ! Hidden, annihilated 
as He is, He is the Christ, the Almighty God, the 
Judge of the living and the dead. 

PRACTICE. 

Follow with docility all the inspirations of grace. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Jesus, who through truly marvellous 
goodness, called the poor shepherds to Your 
manger, and by choosing the poor simple and 
ignorant of the earth for Your first heralds, gave 
such great encouragement to the weak, grant me 
that rectitude and simplicity which wins Your 
favor, in order that, following with docility the 
light of grace, I may one day arrive at that eternal 
city of which You are the Light and splendor. 
Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related in the Dominican Diary for the 
7th of October, that when St. Dominic was preach- 
ing at Rome, there was there a sinner called the 
beautiful Catherine. She received a rosary from 
the hands of the Saint, and began to recite it ; 
but she did not leave off her wicked course of life. 
One day Jesus appeared to her ; first in the shape 
6* 



66 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



of a young man, and afterward the figure changed 
itself into that of a beautiful infant, but with a 
crown of thorns upon His head and a cross upon 
His shoulders, shedding tears from His eyes and 
blood from his body. He then said to her : " It is ^ 
enough ; no more, Catherine ; it is enough, do not 
offend Me any more ; see how much thou has cost 
Me since I began as an infant to surfer for thee, 
and never left off suffering till My death. Cather- 
ine thereupon went immediately in search of St. 
Dominic, confessed to him, and, instructed by him, 
after having given all she had to the poor, and 
having shut herself up in a narrow cell, led a life 
of such fervor, and received such graces from the 
Lord, that the Saint w r as struck with admiration ; 
and at last, having been visited by our Blessed 
Lady, she died a most happy death. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXXI. OF DECEMBER. 

The Infant Jesus adored by the Shepherds. 

Hate you not been greatly touched, dear child, 
at the sight of God's mercy and goodness toward 
the shepherds ? Through what partiality did he 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



67 



deign to choose them to be the first witnesses of 
His birth and other mysteries ? Their innocence and 
simplicity, even though it found favor in His eyes, 
could not have merited such a grace for them. 
But could I not ask with equal justice, Why has 
God called you into His marvellous light ? What 
title had you to His preference ? Is it not into 
the midst of the night of infancy, into the thick 
darkness of sin that He has sent His Angel to you, 
and caused His Divine light to shine upon your 
soul ? Alas ! perhaps more than once, when He 
has drawn near to communicate His grace to you, 
you were found wanting in vigilance and fidelity. 
Whatever reply your heart may make to these 
questions, dear child, continue to study the Gospel 
recital, and find in the alacrity and docility of the 
shepherds, the model of your correspondence with 
the inspirations and secret warnings of the Holy 
Spirit of God. 

The sweet voice of the heavenly messenger re- 
stored their confidence and the harmony of the 
angelic choirs caused them unbounded joy. The 
songs had ceased, yet they seemed still to hear 
them. But God does not bestow His gifts upon 
man merely to astonish him or to produce simply 
some passing emotion in his soul, but in order to 
raise his thoughts above and draw him to Himself, 



68 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



and fervor and activity are the first evidences of 
grace well received. Thus the shepherds said one 
to another : Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let 
us see this word that is come to pass, which the 
Lord hath shewed to us. 0 how precious, dear 
child, what an inestimable advantage is the habit 
of associating with virtuous people, how profitable 
are those friendships which are cemented by 
religion ! Such friends mutually encourage one 
another in the practice of good works, and, sus- 
tained by each other's example, walk rapidly on- 
ward in the paths of perfection. Our shepherds 
hasten their departure ; they arrive and find Mary 
and Joseph and the Infant lying in the manger. 
Can you not see them, dear child, as they press 
round Him with a holy eagerness to contemplate 
His beauty, their gestures, looks, and tears of 
emotion mutually expressing the impressions they 
receive. Respect seals their mouths, but involun- 
tary cries break from them. They look at Him, 
they bless and adore Him, and when their piety is 
thoroughly satiated with the ravishing spectacle, 
they leave the holy place blessing and praising 
God. Here lies, they say, " that Saviour so long 
promised to us. Alas ! by what signs has He 
manifested Himself to our eyes? By the most 
abject poverty. Certainly we will never more 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



69 



complain of our own misery. We will prefer our 
cabins to the king's palaces. We will live con- 
tentedly under our thatched roofs ; too happy in 
having that resemblance to the King of Kings. 
Come, let us spread abroad the welcome news ; 
let us console the poor ones of the earth by the 
recital of the wonders we have seen." 

What lessons for you, dear child, in the conduct 
of the shepherds. What admirable models of do- 
cility, faith, and humility ! Do you not recognize 
the operation of Divine Grace in their pure and 
simple souls ? But where shall we find words to 
express the heroic simplicity of the Queen of An- 
gels, who in profound silence listened to those poor 
shepherds, and kept all their words, pondering them 
in her heart. Yet, what had she to learn ? What 
could she not have told them respecting her Divine 
Son ? Beg her to obtain for you the grace of lor- 
ing to hear God spoken of, and above all, seek, in 
attention to the instructions of the priests of the 
Church, the good of your soul, and your advance- 
ment in virtue. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the conduct 
of the Shepherds. 

The Child. — Divine Jesus! what lights and what 
pure affections You communicate to simple souls 



70 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



and upright hearts ! And then with what gener- 
ous ardor they seek after and attach themselves 
to You. 

The Infant Jesus. — It is true, that I sent one 
of my angels to announce my birth to the shep- 
herds, and that a bright light guided their steps ; 
but have I done less for you, dear child ? If dissi- 
pation and frivolity did not too often prevent you 
from hearing the voice of your angel guardian, 
what rapid advances you would make in virtue 
and wisdom, and how light you would deem ail 
sacrifice made for my love. 

The Child. — 0 my adorable Redeemer ! can I 
hesitate at any sacrifice when I contemplate You 
in the state of weakness, privation and sorrow, to 
which Your love for me has reduced You ? 

The Infant Jesus. — You think so now, my 
child, but soon the world will call upon you to 
participate in its pleasures and delights, and your 
heart, already often agitated by vain desires, will 
find the innocent pomp of my solemnities very 
melancholy. Your angel will say to you, — Let us 
go up to Bethlehem. But a more seductive voice 
will endeavor to draw you away into the broad 
road of sin. 

The Child. — 0 my Saviour ! be my strength : 
do not suffer me to become unfaithful to You. Fill 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



71 



my heart with that sweet and powerful attraction 
with which Your adorable presence rilled those of 
the shepherds ; that like them I may ever bring 
back from my visit to Your holy churches, zeal for 
Your glory, and fidelity to Your service. 

PRACTICE. 

Seek the society of pious and virtuous people. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Jesus, who inspired the shepherds with 
holy zeal and emulation, implant in my heart a 
true and sincere affection for pure souls, and pre- 
serve me for contact with corrupt hearts, lest they 
pervert my faith and innocence. Give me friends 
after your own heart, in order that, in company 
with them, and encouraged by their examples, I 
may learn to seek and serve you upon earth, and 
may have the happiness of blessing and adoring 
you with them eternally in heaven. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related in the Life of Father Zucchi, of the 
Society of Jesus, who was most devout to the Infant 
Jesus, and whose image he made use of to gain many 
souls to God, that one day he gave one of these 
little images to a lady, who, though perfectly in- 



72 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



nocent and good in her habits, was very far from 
having the idea of becoming a nnn. The young 
lady accepted the gift ; but said to him, with a 
smile, " What have I to do with this infant V 
"Nothing," answered he, "but to put it on the 
spinette, on which you so often play." She did 
so ; and, having constantly this image before her 
eyes, she could not avoid looking at it, and from 
looking at it, she began to feel some small touch 
of devotion. Then she was inflamed with a de- 
sire to become better ; so that the spinette was 
rather an occasion to her of prayer than amuse- 
ment. At last she resolved to leave the world and 
become a religious. Then, full of joy, she went 
and related to Father Zucchi that the Infant had 
drawn her to His love ; and, disengaging her af- 
fections from earthly things, had taken entire pos- 
session of them Himself. She became a religious, 
and gave herself up to a life of perfection. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE FIRST OF JANUARY. 

Mystery of the Circumcision. 
Without doubt, dear child, all the circum- 
stances connected with the Saviours birth, have 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



73 



already taught you clearly this fundamental truth 
of Christianity, namely, that the end proposed in 
the Incarnation of the Word, was satisfaction for 
sin and man's reformation. But why was this 
obscurity, this poverty, and this unexampled ab- 
jection necessary ? Was it not enough that the 
Son of Man deigned to take human flesh upon 
Himself? Must He descend still lower and em- 
brace, through a spirit of humiliation, the state of 
the poorest child of Adam's race ? Look among 
the poor : can you find one even, who was born 
in a stable ; one who was forced to give his child 
a manger for its cradle ? No, Jesus alone is re- 
duced to that extremity ; that is the price at 
which He is to expiate our pride; it is by such 
lessons that He is to teach us self-denial and re- 
nouncement of the false goods of this world. By 
submitting to-day to the painful and humiliating 
law of circumcision, He makes amends for the 
crime of sensuality, and teaches His followers 
mortification of the heart and senses. What use- 
ful counsels, what important lessons, you may 
draw from the consideration of a mystery, so well 
calculated to confound those effeminate ideas so 
generally spread abroad, that studied refinement of 
care and tenderness, of which health is the pre- 
text ; and whose inevitable effect is, to enervate 
7 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



the soul still more than the body, and to prepare 
for it, at so early an age, terrible dangers and con- 
flicts for the rest of its life ! But, since the first 
day of the New Year may turn your thoughts 
from so important a consideration, it is perhaps 
more advantageous for you to choose one nearer 
to the ideas to which the day naturally gives rise. 

However young you may be, dear child, you 
cannot fail to discover that the number of years of 
which life is composed, is very limited, and yet 
the place which they occupy therein is very large. 
What are twenty or thirty years \ Judge of them 
by the rapidity with which you have passed over 
the interval which separates you from your in- 
fancy. Does it not seem that you are still near 
its limits \ Well, then, the same swift flight with 
which your first ten or twelve years have passed 
will sweep away those which are to follow them. 
You have frequently crossed a lake or a river in a 
boat ; when you looked forward you seemed to 
make no progress : when you turned your head 
backward, you saw the shore receding from your 
sight, and the port whence you started already far 
from you. At your age, forty or fifty years seem 
an endless time ; and when one speaks to you of 
an old man of sixty or seventy years of age, you 
can scarcely conceive so long a term of years ; 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



75 



and yet it is true, that were your life to comprise 
one hundred years, you will have reached its end 
but too quickly. If I insist upon these reflections, 
dear child, it is because the most dangerous and 
greatest of all the illusions, by which childhood 
and youth are deluded, are those of the continu- 
ance of time and the length of life. 

The best means to dissipate them is to meditate 
upon, and form a just idea of them. Once con- 
vinced of the shortness of time, we learn to em- 
ploy it in a better manner ; the pains and pleas- 
ures of life wear a different aspect : the former lose 
their sting, and the latter their charm. We are less 
wearied with the short trials to which virtue is sub- 
jected, when we compare them with the recom- 
pense promised to her fidelity. Finally, we com- 
prehend that God, being the God of all time, it is 
outraging His goodness, and injuring his greatness, 
to rob him of our earliest affections, and reserve 
for Him only the tardy homage of an existence 
upon whose length no man living can calculate. 
He asks for our first thoughts, dear child, it is the 
morning sacrifice in which he delights ; and it 
was, without doubt, because they offered it to 
Him with pure hearts, that Abel, Joseph, Samuel, 
Tobias and Daniel were overwhelmed with His 
choicest blessings. He, of whom they were but 



76 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



the precursors and figures, must necessarily have 
surpassed them in every thing. Jesus, at the first 
moment of His Incarnation, offered Himself to 
, His Divine Father, and thus commenced with 
His life that sacrifice which was to terminate it. 
Cannot you find some slight one to offer to Him 
to-day, dear child? Among the little gifts which 
you receive from your parents will not piety and 
charity find their share ? Does a Christian child 
owe nothing to the child Jesus ? 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the obligation 
to do penance incumbent upon all ages. 

The Child. — Oh, my Saviour, You began early 
to tread the road of sacrifice and penance ! Scarce- 
ly born, You condemned your innocent flesh to all 
its rigorous requirements, and yet it owed noth- 
ing to Divine Justice, and could fear nothing from 
the attraction of sin, since it was formed of holi- 
ness, and You were sinless. 

The Infant Jesus. — That is true, my child, but 
I wished to offer a superabundant satisfaction to 
my Father, and an example and lesson to all ages. 
When I embraced the law of mortification in its 
full extent, from the first hour of my life, what age 
and what condition of life could hold itself exempt, 
or complain of its severity ? 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



77 



The Child. — 0 Adorable Victim of my salva- 
tion ! Lamb, who bearest the sins of the whole 
world, I must confess, to my own confusion, that, 
hitherto, I have believed that mortification could 
not fall to the share of childhood, and that it was 
only required of great sinners, or of those who 
were old and confirmed in virtue and holiness. 

The Infant Jesus. — Thus do the errors and 
prejudices of the world reach even to those hearts 
.who know not its dangers, and turn them from 
my service before they can experience its sweet- 
ness. Alas ! no one is innocent, not even the in- 
fant, whose life is of only one day's duration ; no 
one, consequently, is dispensed from doing pen- 
ance. 

The Child. — Ah, my Saviour ! what must I 
do? I will count no sacrifice too great, in order 
to testify my love and desire to imitate You ; 
direct me, my heart is ready. 

The Infant Jesus. — Such are the dispositions 
I require, dear child, nourish them carefully ; com- 
bat your evil inclinations, resist all longings of 
pride and sensuality, and never refuse any sacrifice 
which my Holy Spirit requires of you. 

PRACTICE. 

Give an alms in honor of the Infant Jesus. 
7* 



78 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRAYER. 

Divine Jesus, who consecrated the first mo- 
ments of Your life by the practice of peDance ; 
and who, being the Holy of Holies, wished to 
have the seal of sin impressed upon Your innocent 
flesh, plant firmly in my heart a horror of evil. 
Weaken in my soul all the allurements of sensu- 
ality, and all dangerous pleasures, in order that, 
removing far from me all that You condemned 
by Your surlerings, and drawing near to You by* 
holy desires, I may be inseparably united to You* 
throughout eternity. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

We read in the life of St. John, Patriarch of 
Alexandria, who from his profuse alms-deeds, was 
surnamed the Almoner, that when the Persians 
laid waste Syria, vast . multitudes of every condi- 
tion and sex fled to Alexandria, where the Holy 
Patriarch received them with wonderful charity, 
and when some of his clergy asked him what they 
were to do when men dressed in splendid habits 
asked alms of them, he replied that he was the 
dispenser of Christ, from whom he had received 
these orders, "Give to him that asketh of thee." 
On one occasion seeing a poor person appear 
ashamed to receive so large an alms, he encour- 
aged him, saving, " Brother, I have not yet spilt 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 79 

my blood for you, as Jesus Christ, my Master and 
my God, commands me." 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE II. OF JANUARY. 

The name of Jesus, 

When the prophets successively announced the 
advent of the Messiah promised to the earth, they 
designated Him under different names. They are 
mostly collected in the prayer which you daily 
recite, dear child, in the Litany of the Holy Name 
of Jesus ; many of them are also contained 
in the invocations which, under the title of the 
0' of Advent, the Church sings with such pomp 
during the week immediately preceding Christmas 
Day: however, it has been impossible to comprise 
them all in these prayers : their number and diver- 
sity forbid it. There are many with, which you 
frequently meet in books of devotion, and it will 
be useful for you to learn their signification ; the 
most remarkable are those which designate Him 
either as the Desired of all nations, the Desire of 
the Eternal Hills, to teach us that the heavens and 
the earth, angels as well as men, sighed ardently 
after the great event of the Redemption ; or as 



80 THE LITTLE MONTH 

Emanuel, that is to say, God with us. Could the 
sacred Oracles reveal the mystery of the Incarna- 
tion in a more clear and precise manner ? How 
would God be with men ? How could He be seen 
upon earth and hold intercourse with them if He 
had not made Himself man like unto them ? The 
greater part of the other names are easy to under- 
stand, however little they are studied, but Isaias 
has accumulated all the most magnificent designa- 
tions, and those names, which could not be applied 
to any other than the person of the Messiah, 
establish so clear a proof of His divinity, that you 
should, dear child, learn by heart the following 
beautiful passage : " For a Child is born to us," 
he cries, speaking of the distant future as of a time 
already passed, because he had seen, in spirit, the 
event accomplished. "A Son is given to us, and 
the government is upon his shoulder; and his 
name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God 
the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the 
Prince of Peace." Reflect upon those incommu- 
nicable names, and you will admit that He has a 
just right to them all. 

Of all the names which recall His attributes 
as the only begotten Son of God, and the Son of 
man by his temporal birth, the only ones by which 
He wished constantly to be known, were those of 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



81 



Jesus and of Christ; by that of Jesus, since it 
expressed His sublime design in descending from 
heaven, and the mission of mercy He had received 
from His Father, since Jesus, in the original mean- 
ing of the word, signifies Saviour, Lord ; by that of 
Christ, because the union of the Divinity with hu- 
man nature in His person, having been as it were 
the anointing, it expressed at once His Royalty and 
His Priesthood. It is true that that mysterious 
name at which, throughout eternity every knee 
should bow, whether in heaven, upon earth, or in 
hell, had been previously borne by two men distin- 
guished in the annals of sacred history, Joshua, 
the successor of Moses and the inheritor, of his 
power, and Jesus, son of Josedech, of the tribe of 
Levi. Remark, my dear child, that the mission of 
those two personages was to announce and to pre- 
figure that of the Incarnate Word ; the first by 
introducing the people of God into the promised 
land; and the second, by re-establishing among 
them, after their return from captivity, the authority 
of the holy Law and the majesty of Divine worship. 
But what a long interval between these figurative 
Saviours and Him whom they represented ; as the 
promised land, into which Joshua led the children 
of Israel, was but an imperfect image of heaven^ 
and the re-establishment of the legal observances 



82 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



by the son of Josedech, a shadow of evangelical 
perfection, and adoration in spirit and in truth ; 
thus the name of Jesus given to those two great 
men, was only a figure of that all powerful one by 
which we were to be reconciled with God and re- 
established in our heavenly inheritance ; what senti- 
ments of respect, confidence and love, should 
these considerations give rise to in your soul ! It 
is the name of your Creator, of your Saviour, of 
the Victim of your sins. If it forms the joy of 
Ano-els, if the elect in heaven are to wear it writ- 
ten on their forehead, as a mark of their fidelity, 
and to utter it during all eternity as the expres- 
sion of their happiness, should you not prepare 
whilst here below, to join hereafter, in those mag- 
nificent canticles of praise, by repeating it with 
holy gladness, and engrave it on your heart as the 
seal of your fidelity and gratitude ? 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon His adora- 
ble Name. 

The Child. — Lord Jesus ! Your name is worthy 
to be admired throughout the whole earth ! By 
what mercy do you permit the tongue of a feeble 
child to celebrate its praises ? 

The Infant Jesus. — When I appeared to Moses 
in the midst of the burning bush, I did not reveal 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



83 



to him my incommunicable name ; but I ordered 
him to answer those who should ask him by whom 
he was sent : He Who Is has sent me unto you ; 
but when I myself was sent by my Father, I 
wished my Name alone to manifest my mission, and 
that whilst waiting for it, all hearts should be filled 
with hope in its efficacy. 

The Child. — How great is Your goodness, oh, 
my Saviour ! and yet fear sometimes reigns so 
strongly in my soul, that my confidence in it can- 
not be restored. In order to pronounce Your 
sacred name, my mouth should never have been 
defiled by falsehood, nor by words contrary to 
charity. 

The Infant Jesus. — Oh ! my name will purify 
it, and seal it against all that it disapproves of. It 
possesses the virtue of curing the wounds of the 
soul, and preserving it from the contagion of sin. 
Cast far from you, then, my child, both fear and 
mistrust, they are insulting to my love. 

The Child. — Dearest Jesus ! Loving Saviour ! 
purify my heart and my lips, that I may never dis- 
honor that blessed name which You so mercifully 
encourage me to invoke. Grant me this grace, 
that it may be the first word I pronounce upon 
awakening, and may I fall asleep whilst repeating it. 



84 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRACTICE. 

Always pronounce respectfully the Holy Narae 
of Jesus. 

PRAYER. 

Dearest Lord, I beseech You to engrave Your 
adorable name in characters of fire upon rny heart ; 
that nothing ma'y have the power to efface thern t 
Let it be my strength, my support, and my hope ; 
may it be my defence against temptation, my pro- 
tection against dangers ; my help and consolation in 
all the trials and troubles of this life ; and may I 
carry it in my soul as a sign of holiness, in order 
to wear it upon my forehead hereafter, as a mark 
of triumph and glory. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

Boleslaus the Fourth, King of Poland, had en- 
graven upon a plate of gold, the image of his 
father, whom he always venerated : he wore it sus- 
pended from his neck, and when he was to say or 
do any thing of importance, he took this image, 
and kissing it respectfully, said : " My father, I 
wish I may not do any thing unworthy of your 
name." Would not Christians be much more re- 
served in their words and actions if, carrying about 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



85 



them the image of Jesus crucified, they would look 
at it and say, like this great king, when they would 
be in danger of sullying their innocence : O my 
Divine Saviour, never permit me to do any thing 
unworthy thy disciple. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE III. OF JANUARY. 

Power of the Name of Jesus. 

Do you recollect, dear child, the subject of yes- 
terday's meditation ? This question may, perhaps 
embarrass you. I should not be surprised if your 
memory, lively and fresh as it is, could not retain 
it all. However, it is well worthy of being remem- 
bered. The reflections to which it gave rise in 
your mind, and the good resolutions which were 
the fruit of it, do not permit me to fear that it 
will ever be entirely effaced from your soul. The 
adorable Name of Jesus is too deeply engraven 
upon your heart. But from the momentary for- 
getfulness I draw a conclusion, the justice of 
which you will at once acknowledge, that is, the 
necessity of frequently returning to the same sub- 
ject, because a first consideration, so to speak, only 
8 



86 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



serves to present it to the mind. It is for that 
same reason that, in all the arts, the sciences, and 
even in the exercise of mechanical professions, we 
frequently go over what we have read, learned, 
and even taught to others. The more we know, 
the more convinced we are that we have still much 
to learn. 

Why, therefore, do not men apply with similar 
zeal to the study of religion ? Ah, my dear child, 
I must inform you of the true reasons : it is he- 
cause in general they esteem neither their own 
souls, nor the holy truths which are calculated to 
nourish and strengthen them, at their true value. 
You will be no longer surprised at this when you 
have read these reflections upon the name of 
Jesus, to which I once more call your attention. 

You remember that yesterday you were in- 
structed in the different significations of that 
Divine name. These holy considerations inspired 
you with profound sentiments of veneration and 
gratitude. You must add to these to-day that of 
boundless confidence, for the power of the name of 
Jesus is so great, that if you are faithful in invok- 
ing it, if you keep it ever in your thoughts, if 
love frequently recalls it to your heart, you will 
not only triumph with facility over the greatest 
temptations, but you will walk in the road of 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



87 



virtue with a joyful assurance, of which you can at 
present form no idea. 

See, in the Gospel, how that mysterious name is 
always intermingled with the merciful prodigies 
performed by the Saviour, and in the promises 
which He made to His disciples, of the still greater 
wonders which they were one day to accomplish. 
During His mortal life His name is the terror of 
devils. It torments and puts them to flight. It 
is the hope of the afflicted, of the sick, of all those 
who suffer ; they invoke it, and are cured and de- 
livered from distress. In the name of Jesus, we 
should ask and obtain all things. Whatever you 
shall ask of the Father in my name He will give it 
you, says Jesus Christ Himself. It is by His 
name that those who believe and are baptized 
shall be saved. In my name, He adds, they shall 
cast out devils y they shall speak with new 
tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if they 
shall drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt 
them ; they shall lay their hands upon the sick 
and they shall recover. 

You know, dear child, with what fidelity these 
magnificent promises have been accomplished ; 
the first time, in favor of a poor lame man, 
seated at the gate of the Temple, to whom St. 
Peter addressed these startling words : In the 



88 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and walk. Theu 
in the case of a paralytic named Eneas, who 
dwelt in Lydda, and of a pious widow of Joppa, 
named Tabitha, whose death had greatly afflicted 
the Christians of that city, and whom the same 
Apostle raised from the dead. Those wonders 
were renewed in the Church from age to age, in 
an external and visible manner, as long as they 
were necessary for the establishment of the Faith, 
and for the conversion of the Gentiles. They are 
still daily renewed in an invisible, though no less 
wonderful manner, in the conversion of sinners, in 
the fidelity of pure and innocent hearts, and in the 
perseverance of the just. Such are the miracles 
which the holy spouse of God constantly de- 
mands, and ceases not to obtain for her children, 
because she asks them in the name of Jesus 
Christ, which she places at the end of all her 
prayers. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the power of 
His Holy Name. 

The Child. — Divine Jesus ! at each step which 
I take in seeking You, and in endeavoring to 
attain a thorough knowledge of Your adorable 
Infancy, I discover that, truly, I knew You not. 
How many times have I not pronounced Your 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



89 



all-powerful name, without suspecting all that it 
comprised within it ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Ah, my child ! it is the 
misfortune of the generality of Christians, and the 
fatal cause of the loss of so great a number, that 
they do not know me, because they will not study 
either my life, my doctrines, or the truths which I 
brought down from Heaven. 

The Child. — O my Saviour ! do not suffer so 
great a misfortune to fall on me ; teach me what I 
must do to know and serve You. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, it is not by 
books, nor in the schools of earthly masters, that 
you will learn to know me. If you really desire 
it, and will ask the grace of me, the Holy Ghost 
will enlighten your heart ; He will unfold to you 
the secrets of my name, and will teach you to pro- 
nounce it in an efficacious manner. 

The Child. — It seems to me, dear Lord, that I 
am animated with that desire, and that sentiment 
cannot but be the effect of Your grace. 

The Infant Jesus. — Well, then, Christian 
child, preserve it carefully, and with that end in 
view, contract the pious custom of pronouncing 
my name in a true spirit of faith upon awaken- 
ing in the morning, and on going to sleep at 
night, at the beginning and end of your principal 
8* 



90 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



actions, in your temptations and sorrows ; carry 
it about you, place it near your bed, in your 
prayer-books, and press it frequently to } our lips ; 
it will keep, strengthen, and console you, and it 
will operate its significance in your soul, for Jesus 
means Saviour. 

PRACTICE. 

Invoke with, confidence the name of Jesus. 

PRAYER. 

0 Jesus! how dearly has my salvation cost 
You ! At what a price, and by what effusion of 
blood have You earned the title of Saviour ! Save 
me then from sin and eternal death, since for that 
purpose You received the name of Jesus. It is the 
terror of Hell ; it is the strength and consolation 
of the Faithful in their combats ; it is the joy 
of saints, who celebrate its everlasting glory. 0 
name of strength ! I will invoke You in all my 
dangers upon the sea of this world, and I hope 
one day to praise You with the Blessed in 
Heaven. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related in the Life of St. Edmund, of 
Abingdon, afterward Archbishop of Canterbury, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



91 



that, being one day in the country, with the 
other boys, his companions, as he was fond of 
prayer and solitude, he separated from them in 
order to walk alone in the meadows, to meditate 
and entertain himself with devout aspirations 
toward Jesus Christ. Behold, a beautiful In- 
fant appeared to him, and saluted him with, " God 
bless you, my dear Edmund !" and then asked 
him if he knew who " He was ? " Edmund 
answered that he did not. He then said, "I 
wonder that I should be unknown to you, since I 
always sit by your side in school, and am con- 
stantly in your company, and follow you wherever 
you go. If you desire to know me, look at my 
forehead." Edmund did so, and read on His fore- 
head these words, " Jesus of Nazareth, the King 
of the Jews." The child then added, " This is 
my name ; and I desire, that in remembrance of 
the love I bear you, you should every night sign 
your forehead with this name, and it shall deliver 
you from sudden death ; as it w T ill also deliver 
every one who shall do the same." Edmund ever 
after signed himself with the name of Jesus. On 
one occasion the Devil seized his hands, in order 
to prevent his doing so ; but he conquered him 
by prayer, and then constrained him to tell him 
what was the weapon he feared most j the Devil 



92 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



replied, that it was those words with which he 
signed his forehead. 



MEDITATION. 

FOE THE IY. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus draws children toward the con- 
sideration of His first mysteries. 

Although neither the Holy Scriptures nor tra- 
dition speak of children as being round our 
Saviour's manger, it must be consoling to such a 
heart as yours, dear child, to think that God, who 
deigned to humble Himself to the state of infancy, 
must have crowned His mercy, by drawing to 
Him, by His grace, the innocent hearts of those 
whose age and condition he had embraced. Why 
should we not picture to ourselves a true daughter 
of Abraham, led by faith to seek out her new-born 
King, and present her infant to receive His bless- 
ing 1 How shall we believe that the Saviour, who 
has shown so tender a love for childhood and 
youth, would not have enlightened some young 
souls with a ray of divine light, and revealed Him- 
self to them as He did formerly to Samuel ? Was 
not the first confident of the mystery of His In- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



93 



carnation a child yet in his mother's womb? 
Were not the Holy Innocents His first martyrs ? 
However that may be, dear child, it is certain that 
the mysteries of the Holy Infancy should possess 
a powerful attraction for all young hearts, and 
produce in those who are happy enough to re- 
spond to it, two precious effects, namely, the love 
and imitation of the Infant Jesus. 

"What more charming sight than that of an in- 
fant sleeping in its cradle, or smiling in its moth- 
er's arms ? What more delightful than to see a 
child, at the first dawnings of reason, touched by 
the sight of a poor person, or shedding tears over 
some slight action of kindness, or when, led by his 
pious mother to some church, he pours forth his 
pure and innocent desires, at the foot of the 
Altar. But if the gifts, which the goodness of 
God sheds so abundantly upon children's earliest 
years, have so charming an effect, judge, dear child, 
what they must have been in that Adorable Infant, 
who lived amongst us full of grace and truth ? 
How can you contemplate his beauty without be- 
ing irresistibly drawn toward him? When you 
behold him, scarcely born, yet already weeping for 
your sins, and offering the first shedding of His 
precious blood to expiate them, can you refuse 
Him your love ? And when, holding out his hands 



94 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



to you, from His crib, He seems to say : My child, 
give me your heart ; does not your heart burn to 
say to Him, with. St. Bernard : " O, most loving 
Saviour ! what can I refuse to your sighs and tears ? 
The more you have humbled yourself for me, the 
dearer you are to me." . 

As soon, dear child, as the Infant Jesus shall 
have drawn you to His love, you will feel inclined 
to imitate Him. Every thing pleases us in those 
we love ; therefore we frequently copy, without 
knowing it, their manners, walk, and even accents. 
Thus, when you have become attached to the lov- 
ing mysteries which will exemplify in all their per- 
fection those virtues suited to your age, you will 
feel the desire to imitate them, or at least to offer 
some slight impression of them in your life ; be- 
cause your heart being open to the love of Jesus, 
you will wish to resemble Him. His patience, 
His sweetness, His humility, and His punctual 
obedience, will be your favorite study and the con- 
stant objects of your imitation ; and that God, who 
loves children, before whom even a good desire 
is not without its reward, will bestow upon you the 
blessings of His grace, and accomplish in you 
that resemblance which your own weakness could 
only sketch, as it were. Dear child, if at the price 
of your fidelity to some few practices as sweet as 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



95 



they are easy, you can obtain the overthrow of a 
single vice, the acquisition of one virtue, or the 
victory over that predominant passion which has 
so long been the origin of all your faults, and the 
source of all your sorrows, what happiness would 
be yours ! You must ask it with confidence of 
your Saviour ; but that is not enough. Your soul 
should reflect, as in a faithful mirror, His Divine 
Image, and you should, as it were, reproduce Him 
in your thoughts, affections and conduct, since 
every Christian should be another Jesus Christ. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the mysteries 
of His Infancy. 

The Child'. — My Saviour ! what I have just 
heard gives me the desire to apply myself to the 
study of the mysteries of Your adorable child- 
hood. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, one of the most 
precious privileges of your age is that of loving 
truth and virtue, and being inclined readily to ob- 
serve them ; but that impulse is quickly stopped, 
and frequently gives place to directly opposite im- 
pressions. 

The Child. — Divine Jesus ! what attractions 
can compare to those of the mysteries of Your 
childhood ? All connected with them touches my 



96 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



heart; the mere contemplation of You in Your 
crib or in Your Blessed Mother's arms, causes me a 
feeling of joy quite new to me. 

The Infant Jesus.- — My child, that is but the 
first drop of the dew which I will shower down 
upon your soul, if it is docile to the inspirations of 
my grace. I am prodigal in my gifts to those of 
your age ; their innocence and simplicity forcibly 
attract me. 

The Child. — Dear Lord, I am utterly unworthy 
of Your slightest favors, since I am already far 
from innocent ; but deign, nevertheless, to render 
more lively the desire that I experience to know 
and to love You. 

The Infant Jesus. — Persevere in that disposi- 
tion, 0 child of G-od ! address that prayer to me 
frequently, and you will taste how sweet the Lord 
is. Have I not told you that He that loveth me, 
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, 
and will manifest myself to him. 

PRACTICE. 

Constantly meditate upon the mysteries of the 
Holy Infancy. 

PRAYER. 

By Your grace, Divine Saviour, I begin to taste 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



97 



the sweetness hidden in the first mysteries of Your 
Incarnate Life. I feel myself drawn to contem- 
plate them ; my heart frequently recalls my mind 
to that holy occupation. Be a thousand times 
blessed, 0 Lord ! since every good thought and 
every useful sentiment are the effect of your grace- 
Render that impression lasting, I conjure You, 
make it to bring forth fruits worthy of salvation, 
in order, that, following You step by step, I may 
avoid the snares of the world and its passions, 
and may finally arrive at Your Eternal Kingdom. 
Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

Father Nadasi relates, that the devotion of send- 
ing about the image of the Infant Jesus to the 
nuns, each one having it one day, having been 
introduced into a monastery, one of the Virgins 
whose turn it was, after having spent a long time 
in prayer, at the close of the evening took the 
image and shut it up in a little closet. But she 
had hardly lain down to sleep when she heard the 
Holy Infant knocking at the door of the closet ; she 
therefore got out of bed, and having replaced the 
image on her little altar, she prayed again for a 
very long time. She then shut it up again, but 
the Infant again knocked ; again she took it out 
9 



98 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



and prayed. At last, weary with sleep, she went 
and rested herself on the bed, and slept till day- 
break ; and on awakening she blessed this night 
passed in holy conversation with her Beloved. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE V. OF JANUARY. 

Upon the opposition shown toward the mysteries 
of the Holy Infancy. 

You have, no doubt, dear child, met with shrubs 
upon which persons have amused themselves by 
engraving words, and you may have noticed that, 
far from becoming effaced by the growth of the 
tree, on the contrary they grow and enlarge with 
it. So it is with good or bad impressions when 
received in early life ; they continue more or less 
vivid, and always exercise some influence upon the 
remainder of our lives. It is therefore a great 
blessing for you to be alive from your earliest 
years to the sweet attractions of piety, and to enjoy 
the consolation it affords. The truly Christian 
emotion which yesterday's meditation enkindled 
in your heart is a happy omen of your persever- 
ance, and gives me ground to hope, that you will 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



99 



always find your joy as well as strength, in the 
touching mysteries of the Infancy of Jesus, and 
that they will quickly draw you back to His love, 
should the world and its allurements temporarily 
detach you from His service. 

This last supposition afflicts you, dear child ; the 
idea of adding to the sorrows, of multiplying the 
tears of your Infant God, presents itself to you 
under the colors of an ingratitude and new barbar- 
ity which wounds your heart. Blessed be God a 
thousand times, and may His mercy engrave deeply 
on your soul so pious and just a sentiment ! But, 
however, it is necessary to convince yourself fully 
of two important truths ; the first is, that nothing 
is more inconstant than man's will, above all during 
the first years of life ; and the second is, that the 
mysteries of the Holy Infancy, luminous and at- 
tractive though they be, can, and too often do en- 
counter, even in youthful hearts, the strongest 
opposition. Without doubt, dear child, grace can 
triumph, and often does triumph, over the incon- 
stancy of man's heart ; and all seems to say to me 
that it will preserve you in fidelity. But it is not 
the less true, that frivolity and levity cause the 
happiest hopes to fade away in numberless souls, 
and that the mysteries which delight your piety 
to-day, will soon lose all charm and sweetness for 



100 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



those who sully their innocence. Let the voice of 
the passions once be heard in the heart, it will rep- 
resent to it the requirements of those mysteries 
so redoubtable for pride and sensuality, and love of 
the world, and will even exaggerate their rigor and 
difficulties. We no longer remark that the Incar- 
nate Word, whilst offering to us in the Divine In- 
fancy, the model of the highest virtues, merited 
for us the grace to imitate them, that He facilita- 
ted the practice not only by His example, but still 
more by the strength and sweetness which he pours 
into the soul who endeavors to follow it. We see 
but the poverty of • the stable of Bethlehem, we 
feel but the hardness of the manger, we hear only 
the weeping, moaning, and sighing of the sorrow- 
ing child, who from his first coming into this 
world, calls all who wish to walk in His footsteps, 
to tears and penance. Join to those ideas the 
growing taste for pleasure, vanity, luxury, the love 
of gain, the desire of pleasing, of having the first 
place in society, in a word all those first propensi- 
ties which have such influence over childhood and 
youth, and you can form some idea of the opposi- 
tion they present to those mysteries, those humilia- 
tions, and that prodigious self-abasement of a God 
made man. 

It is far from being my intention, dear child, to 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



101 



discourage your weakness, or to mingle bitterness 
with the pure consolation which you taste at the 
feet of the Infant Jesus. But it is very important 
for you to be early forewarned against the seduc* 
tions of the world and its passions. Never forget, 
therefore, that when Religion begins to speak less 
powerfully to your heart, some enemy's voice must 
have penetrated therein, and that the only means 
to escape the danger, is to redouble your vigilance 
and your fidelity in the accomplishment of your 
duties. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the opposition 
to the mysteries of Faith. 

The Child. — Can it be possible, dearest Sav- 
iour, that these mysteries of Your Holy Childhood 
which now penetrate me with such sweet senti- 
ments, can some day become a subject of scandal 
for me ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Alas, my child ! of what 
excess is not the misery of the human heart capa- 
ble ? At which one of my actions were men not 
scandalized ? 

The Child. — O God of Love ! they were at 
least never scandalized at your Divine Infancy ! 

The Infant Jesus. — O Christian child ! you 
are very excusable in not comprehending such 
9* 



102 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



monstrous perversity. It is nevertheless true that 
men blushed at the state of humiliation and weak- 
ness in which I made my entrance into the world. 

The Child. — 0 King of Glory! perhaps they 
lamented that annihilation of Your majesty. 

The Infant Jesus. — 0 Child of Adam! you 
do not understand that such abasement was useful 
for the salvation of men ; it was worthy of me, 
since nothing is more fitting for the Creator of 
man than to redeem men. Their pride was the 
true cause of their opposition to my humble state 
of life. 

The Child. — 0 my Divine Master ! deign to 
explain that truth to me. 

The Infant Jesus. — Men who passionately 
loved wealth, rank, and pleasure, repulsed an 
humble, poor and suffering Saviour, who obliged 
them to take pattern from His example, and who 
condemned their favorite desires from His very 
birth. 

The Child. — Be ever blessed, 0 Light of Souls ! 
"Why did I not recognize those deplorable causes 
of sin, since by the assistance of your grace, I can 
discover the seed of them in my own heart ? Heal 
me, O my God ! Reform my corrupt propensi- 
ties, and Your mysteries shall find no more oppo- 
sition within my soul. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



103 



PRACTICE. 

Fight generously against your predominant pas- 
sions. f 

PRAYER. 

Can it be, O my Divine Master ! that Your 
mysteries, the remembrance of which renders me 
so happy to-day, can ever become a subject of 
scandal for me ? Most loving Redeemer ! rather 
let me die a thousand deaths than meet with so 
great a misfortune. But since it is my evil pro- 
pensities which excite my heart to rebel against 
Your Holy Law, and arms my mind against the 
Faith, grant me the grace to combat them steadily, 
until I reach that abode where You will crown 
those who shall have fought generously during 
this life. Ainen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related in the Flowery Meadow, that a 
devout lady wished to know what souls were the 
dearest to Jesus. One day, whilst she was hear- 
ing mass, at the elevation of the Sacred Host, she 
saw the Infant Jesus on the altar, and with Him 
three young virgins. Jesus took the first, and 
caressed her very much. He went to the second, 
and having taken her veil off her face, He struck 
her severely on the cheek, and turned His back 



104 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



upon her ; but soon after, seeing the child look 
sorrowful, He comforted her with all sorts of kind- 
ness. At last, He approached the third ; He 
seized her by the arm, as if He were angry, struck 
her, and drove her away from Him ; but the more 
she saw herself ill-used and driven off, the more 
the little virgin humbled herself and followed 
Him ; and thus the vision ended. This devout 
woman remained in the church with great desire 
to know what was the meaning of the vision. Jesus 
appeared to her again, and told her that there 
are on earth three sorts of souls who love Him. 
Some love Him, but their love is so weak that if 
they are not coaxed by spiritual pleasures they 
become uneasy, and are in danger of turning 
their backs upon Him ; of these, the first virgin 
was a figure. The second represented those souls 
who love Him with a less feeble love, but who 
require to be comforted from time to time. The 
third was a figure of those more courageous souls 
who, although constantly desolate and deprived 
of spiritual consolations, do not cease doing all 
they can to please their Lord; and these, He said, 
were the souls in which He took the greatest de- 
light. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



105 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE VI. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus attracts the Magi by means of 
a Star. 

How admirable is the Christian religion, dear 
child, whether we contemplate it as a whole, or 
whether we study it in detail; how perfectly it all 
harmonizes and accords. Thus, since the Son of 
God, who came to repair man's crime and reform 
his evil propensities, was, from His entrance into 
life, to announce and, so to speak, consecrate pov- 
erty, obscurity and suffering, the poor and little 
ones of the earth were to be the first instructed of 
the good news, and allowed the happiness of be- 
holding Him. But as He was to be also the 
Saviour of all mankind, it was necessary that the 
great, rich, and learned should be called in their 
turn ; and they were consequently miraculously 
led to His feet. Peace was first to be announced 
to those near at hand — that is, to the Jews, chil- 
dren of the Promise; then to those at a distance — 
that is, to the Gentiles ; and see the admirable 
order in which they are called, one after the other. 
His predilection for Israel is shown by the calling 
of the Shepherds; but His mercy also shines upon 
the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi, whom it 



106 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



seeks in a distant land, where the true God was 
not known, and where the Messiah was not ex- 
pected. Remark also, dear child, that the Magi, 
like the Shepherds, required light from above 
to enlighten and direct them ; and that without 
faith, of which that extraordinary light was the 
image, neither learning nor science can teach you 
to know Jesus Christ, nor lead you to Him. 

Perhaps, my child, you will ask, What was 
that star which guided the Magi toward the birth- 
place of the Divine Saviour ? I could answer you 
that that question is one over whose solution 
the wise ones of this world have wasted both 
time and trouble, since they could never arrive at 
a satisfactory conclusion. It is enough for you, 
as a Christian, to know and believe in all simplici- 
ty, that a star appeared to the "Wise Men in the 
East ; that w T hile gazing upon it they felt interior- 
ly impelled to seek Him whose birth it announced ; 
and that it directed their steps, faithfully pointing 
out the road which led them to the place where 
the Messiah was born. But since every thing 
connected with the mysteries of the Divine In- 
fancy is worthy of attention, and that you are 
seeking • your own edification, rather than the 
gratification of idle curiosity, it will not be un- 
profitable to tell you some of the numerous sur- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



107 



mises based upon the apparition of that miracu- 
lous star. No one, as I have yet heard, has sus- 
tained. that it was either a fixed star or a planet, 
whose places, as well as their revolutions in the 
firmament are well known. Some have thought 
that G-od created it for that express purpose ; 
others, that an angel, clothed with a body which 
shone like a star, went before the Magi to direct 
their steps ; others again, and such seems the gen- 
eral impression, think that heavenly sign to have 
been a brilliant meteor to which an angel had 
given the form of a star, and which, suspended 
in mid- air, was driven by him from east to west, 
as was formerly the column of fire which went 
before the Israelites to guide them across the 
desert. Be that as it may, dear child, such opin- 
ions are of no moment. The only important 
point for a Christian is, to consider in that star 
the double light of faith and grace ; of faith 
which points out the road to us ; and of grace 
which gives us the strength to walk therein with 
fidelity, if we would arrive at the promised re- 
ward. If you will draw this conclusion from 
those considerations, my child, you will recognize 
that the Star of Jacob has shone more than once 
for you, that its light still shines in your soul, but 
that its splendor is frequently obscured, and its 



108 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



purposes frustrated, by the little attention paid to 
it, and trie want of zeal to follow its inspirations. 
Beg, therefore, the Infant Jesus to bestow upon 
you an attentive mind and a docile heart. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jems upon the Star 
which appeared to the Magi. 

The Child. — What mercy You have shown, 
dear Lord, from the first moment of Your birth ! 
You deigned even to instruct idolatrous men who 
had no claim to so great a favor. 

The Infant Jesus. — What man, my child, 
even the most righteous and faithful among my 
disciples, can claim as a right the least of my 
graces? It is I who, through mercy, give them 
both light and good desires ; and without me, 
neither could the human mind discern the truth, 
nor human hearts be turned toward my service. 

The Child. — But, my Divine Master ! how did 
the Magi, from merely seeing that star in the 
heavens, understand that You had come into the 
world ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Without doubt, that star 
which attracted their attention could not give 
them that information^ but at the same moment 
that I caused it to appear before their eyes, the 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



109 



light of Christ shone upon their souls, and revealed 
to them the mystery of my birth. 

The Child. — O my Saviour! since You have 
bestowed upon me the gift of faith, of which that 
star was the image, deign further to give me that 
heartfelt desire which will urge me ever toward 
You. 

The Infant Jesus. — 0 my child ! your good 
desire is already the effect of my grace, and an in- 
spiration of my Holy Spirit. Purify your affec- 
tions ; disengage yourself from the vanities which, 
obscuring your soul, prevent my Divine light from 
penetrating into it; leave, once for all, those child- 
ish occupations which turn your attention from 
piety ; listen to the voice which is constantly 
heard in the depths of your conscience ; and, finally . 
come forth from your infancy, live and walk in 
the paths of wisdom. 

The Child. — Most loving Jesus, it is sweet for 
me to obey so tender an invitation ; but behold 
my weakness, inconstancy and ignorance. Cradled 
in illusions, I have hitherto loved trifles ; 1 have 
lived only a sensual life; but if You will take pity 
on me, You can change my heart, You can sustain 
me, draw me to Your love, and attach me so close 
ly to You that nothing can be capable of separat- 
ing me from You. 
10 



110 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRACTICE. 

Often thank God for the grace of vocation to 
the Faith. 

PRAYER. 

What happiness for me, 0 my Divine Saviour ! 
to have been born of Christian parents, and in the 
bosom of the Catholic Church ; to have been 
nourished with the milk of the true Faith, and 
sent to pious schools to be instructed in the prac- 
tice of Your commandments, and in the imitation 
of Your virtues ! If, with such powerful helps, I 
still find myself inclined toward evil, what would 
I have been had I been born in error, and given 
up to my wicked inclinations ? Preserve in me, 
0 Jesus ! these fruits of Your mercy ; and may 
Your Divine light lead me onward to the heaven- 
ly Jerusalem. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

We read in the life of St. Hubert, that in his 
twentieth year, he was one day going to hunt 
whilst the people were going to the church ; but 
scarcely had he commenced following a great 
stag, than the animal stood still. Hubert, aston- 
ished, fixed his eyes upon him, when he perceived 
between his horns the image of Jesus crucified, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



Ill 



and heard a voice which said to him: "If you are 
not converted, and lead a better life, you will soon 
descend into hell." At these words, he leaped 
from his horse, and throwing himself on his knees, 
adored the Lord who had appeared to him, and 
going to Maestricht, placed himself under the 
direction of St. Lambert, the Bishop of that city, 
and became converted. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE VII. OF JANUARY. 

Upon the Magi. 

44 Were the Magi sovereign kings, or dependent 
upon a larger empire ? Were they merely great 
lords, who were styled kings after the custom of 
their country, or were they only wise men, phi- 
losophers, or doctors of the law, among the Per- 
sians, Parthians, or in some part of that empire 
known as the East ? You think, perhaps, that I 
am about to settle your doubts and gratify your 
curiosity; but you deceive yourself — I have not 
taken up my pen to teach you the thoughts of 
men. I will simply tell you that they were wise 
men and astronomers in their own country, whom 



112 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



God drew to Himself, rich and powerful, as their 
gifts testify ; if they were teachers of religion, 
God had made Himself known to them, and they 
had renounced the worship of idols. 

" But from whence did they come ? From far 
or near I Did they perform their journey during 
the few days which elapsed between the Nativity 
and the Epiphany, as the ancient tradition of the 
Church seems to imply ? Or is there something 
hidden from us ? Did they come from a distance, 
warned, perhaps, before the birth of the Great 
King, in order to arrive at the stated time ? Who 
can say, and what would it avail us to know \ 
Is it not sufficient to understand that they came 
from the land of ignorance, from the midst of the 
heathen, where God was not known, and Christ 
neither promised nor expected? Nevertheless, 
guided by light from on high, they came in search 
of God, and His Christ, and were the first-fruits 
from among the Gentiles. 

" Finally, what was the number of the Magi ? 
Many ancient writers say three. I know not if 
tradition informs us precisely ; but, after all, what 
matters it to us ? It is enough for us to know 
that they were of that number known to God ; of 
that little number, of that little troop which God 
has chosen. Consider the great extent of the 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



113 



Eastern Empire, then that of the entire universe. 
God at first called bat a few persons, and when 
the number of those who serve Him shall have 
been augmented, that number, though great in it- 
self, will be small in comparison with the infinite 
multitudes who will be lost forever. You are 
sometimes tempted to incredulity at the sight of 
the small number of those who are saved. Who 
art thou, 0 man ! who darest to question God, 
and ask the reasons of His actions ? Profit by 
the grace which is offered to you, and leave to 
God the knowledge of His judgments. The Magi 
did not say to themselves : Let us not go, for why 
did not God call all men, as well as ourselves ? 
But they went, they saw, they adored God ; they 
presented Him their gifts, and were saved." 

You have doubtlessly perceived, dear child, from 
the commencement of this Meditation, that it was 
not I who was speaking to you. This passage 
from the writings of Bossuet, the great Bishop of 
Meaux, struck me as being so simple, yet so in- 
structive, that I would not deprive you of the 
pleasure of reading it at length. It also seemed 
to me to enter so perfectly into the frame-work of 
the truths which occupy your minds just at pres- 
ent, that it would but imprint them more closely 
upon your mind, coming from the pen of so great 
10* 



114 THE LITTLE MONTH 

a master. He has told you, so far as it was pos- 
sible to conjecture, who the Magi were ; their 
country, and the number which came to Bethle- 
hem. But what is still more important, he has 
taught you not to attach yourself too closely to 
merely curious researches ; and that, even while 
asking God's light to enable you to discern articles 
of faith, you must, above all, beg Him to give you 
humility and docility of heart. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the disposi- 
tions requisite for the study of Religion. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour! the habitual oc- 
cupation of the Magi, and the grace which You 
bestowed upon them in calling them to visit You, 
inspire me with a desire to study Your divine 
mysteries; but I fear lest my intentions be not 
sufficiently pure. 

The Infant Jesus. — It is a great happiness for 
a soul even to conceive the desire of advancing on 
the road of faith ; for, naturally, the spirit of man 
darkened by sin, rather inclines toward earthly 
than seeks after heavenly things. 

The Child. — My good master ! I but too often 
find that same inclination in myself, since, even 
whilst contemplating the wonders of your adorable 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



115 



infancy, I suffer myself to be distracted by curi- 
ous thoughts, and so lose sight of you. 

The Infant Jesus. — My dear child, it is only 
in heaven, where your soul will be absorbed in the 
clear light of truth, that nothing will be able to 
divert you from its ravishing contemplation. In 
this valley of darkness and illusions, you can never 
entirely detach your mind from earthly ideas, even 
in the midst of the efforts it makes to elevate 
itself toward God. 

The Child. — God of love, your goodness re- 
assures me, but teach me what I am to do in order 
to apply myself with profit to the study of Re- 
ligion. 

The Infant Jesus. — Never study either through 
curiosity or vanity, dear child ; neither merely to 
satisfy yourself, nor to be more learned than your 
companions. But since no man can love God 
without knowing Him, nor know Him without 
loving Him, let the acquisition of that superemi- 
nent science be the principal and continual end of 
all your care. Remember frequently, that knowl- 
edge is not the fruti of man's labor, but the gift of 
the Holy Ghost, and the recompense of humility, 
simplicity, and purity of heart. 



116 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRACTICE. 

Apply with zeal, humility, and uprightness, to 
the study of Religion. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Lord ! I know You not, and I am power- 
less, through my own unaided efforts, to raise my- 
self to the knowledge of Your adorable majesty. 
Nevertheless, I cannot live without knowing You, 
nor reach Your kingdom without learning the 
road which leads thither. I am only a child, and 
a sinful one ; but You are my God, my Creator, 
my all, and You only created me to know and love 
You. You are my life and my light. Incline to- 
ward me, therefore, O uncreated Light ! Commu- 
nicate Yourself to my soul, since You are its life, 
in order that I may begin to love and serve You 
here below, and thus merit to possess You in 
heaven. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

We read in the life of Blessed Albertus Magnus, 
that in his early years he was so dull of compre- 
hension as to be nicknamed the Ass, by his com- 
panions ; he entered the Dominican Convent, at 
Padua, and at the end of two years his faculties 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 117 

not improving, he decided to retire secretly into 
the wilderness, in order to hide his griefs in the 
bosom of his God. He made a promise to the 
Blessed Virgin, to whom he was tenderly devoted, 
and at the end of it, having placed himself under 
her protection, was about to carry his design into 
execution, when Our Lady appeared to him, and 
asked him what he wanted, when he replied, "The 
gift of wisdom." Which she granted to him, 
telling him that it should be withdrawn from, him 
the moment it seemed likely to become dangerous to 
him. He immediately became as celebrated for 
his learning as he had previously been for his 
dulness and stupidity, received the title of The 
Philosopher, and became celebrated throughout all 
countries for his wonderful powers of mind, and 
was elected vicar-general of the Order of St. 
Dominic in 1236, and its General in 1238. Being 
sent to Cologne to teach Divinity, one day, while 
preaching to an immense congregation, he was 
tempted to pride in his great acquirements, when 
his memory suddenly deserted him, and he fell 
into his former state of dulness. He understood 
the warning, and instantly prepared for death, 
which he received piously two years after, on the 
15th of November, 1282. 



118 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE VIII. OF JANUARY. 

The Magi leave their own country. 

In order that you can form a just idea of the 
generous sacrifice of the Magi, and of the wisdom 
of their conduct in the important journey they 
undertook, and which now occupies your atten- 
tion, it will not be useless, dear child, for you to 
meditate, in the first place, upon the miraculous 
star, and upon the state and condition of the per- 
sons to whom it was sent. Whatever opinion 
you may have formed regarding them, whether 
you look upon them as kings, princes, or sages, 
they are still powerful men, who renounced, from 
no motives of self-interest, glory, or pleasure, the 
delights of a comfortable life ; for which extraor- 
dinary enterprise, the apparition of the celestial 
sign will give a sufficient reason. From thence, 
my dear child, result two great lessons, firstly, that 
when God demands something difficult of us. His 
goodness always proportions His succor to the 
troubles to be surmounted ; and secondly, that 
when we are convinced that He requires some 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 119 

sacrifice from us, nothing should hinder our obe- 
dience to Him. 

The journey of the Magi was a more difficult 
enterprise that is commonly imagined ; and the 
more closely you examine their determination, the 
more you will be convinced of the strength of 
their conviction and their courage and readiness 
of will. They were obliged to quit their homes, 
their comfortable habits, their business and their 
families, and to undertake a long journey through 
an unknown country, and among a people whose 
dispositions, to say the least, might be unfavorable. 
And for what reason ? to seek an Infant King 
whose birth had been announced to them by 
means of a star. But are they the only ones 
whose eyes have seen its light ? Why should 
they hazard so much more than their neighbors ? 
What will be said of an enterprise based upon 
the faith of an uncertain star ? Would it not be 
wiser to wait, to seek some further information ? 
Such, dear child, would have been the reasoning 
of a less generous and more wavering faith. The 
Magi, happily for themselves, did not reason in 
that manner. 

Docile to the inspirations of grace, they turned 
a deaf ear to all vain considerations which might 
hinder their pious design : they bade a joyful 



120 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



adieu both to those who blamed and pitied them, 
and to those who secretly laughed at their sim- 
plicity ; they left all their possessions without re- 
gret, because something seemed to say confusedly 
to their hearts that they would find all that they 
needed. Finally, they set out, preceded by their 
heavenly guide. Imagine, dear child, how atten- 
tively they kept their eyes upon it, with what 
consolation and religious ardor they followed it. 
What must have been their conversations, their 
prayers and their transports of admiration and 
gratitude. 

Such is the touching picture of a truly Christian 
life, that is to say, when enlightened and guided 
by faith. For what is life, dear child, but a jour- 
ney, which is never a very long one ? Pilgrim to- 
ward the Heavenly Jerusalem, has not the star 
shone upon you also ? Leave, then, this land of 
darkness; and by means of holy thoughts and 
good desires, which are the steps of the heart, 
walk by the light of faith ; never lose sight of her 
for a moment, and she will certainly lead you to 

vour iournev's end. 
j j j 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the setting 
out of the Magi. 

The Child. — My Saviour ! I have never before 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



121 



reflected upon what their obedience to the call of 
Your grace must have cost the Magi. 

The Infant Jesus. — Without doubt, my dear 
child, obedience always imposes some sacrifice up- 
on the heart of man; because his will has been 
perverted by sin ; but the more prompt and gen- 
erous it is, the less effort it requires, and the more 
merit it procures. 

The Child. — But, dear Lord, when You so kind- 
ly sweeten the sacrifices we make for Your love, 
how can they increase our merits ? 

The Infant Jesus. — It is true, my child, that 
man's docility is the effect of my grace ; but, as 
it is also a free act and co-operation of his will, I 
impute it to his good heart ; thus, whilst crowning 
his merits, I also crown my own gifts. 

The Child. — It seems to me, however, O my 
Divine Master ! that had I seen the miraculous 
star, and had an interior voice assured me that it 
would guide me to Your feet, I would have count- 
ed as nothing, either distance of country, the rail- 
leries of men, or the fatigues and dangers of a 
long journey. 

The Infant Jesus. — Thus, it is, dear child, 
that men speak when far from the occasion of 
trial, and yet how little does it require to shake 
their constancy and draw them into infidelity ; a 
11 



122 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



little privation imposed by humility, charity, or 
penance, a raillery, a frivolous fear. Perseverance 
is daily shipwrecked against a grain of sand. 

The Child. — 0 my Divine Master ! pardon 
my blindness and presumption. Those few words 
comprise the whole history of my life, and paint 
but too clearly the weakness of my heart. Dear- 
est Lord, enlighten my darkness and save me. 

PRACTICE. 

Make daily some little sacrifice to God. 

PRAYER. 

My dearest Lord ! it is but too true that when 
far from the occasion of trial, and when nothing is 
required but promises and words, I believe myself 
disposed to quit all for love of You, and yet the 
time of temptation almost always finds me cow- 
ardly and unfaithful. Strengthen, therefore, I be- 
seech You, O my Sovereign Master, my will so 
powerless for good, render my attachment to Your 
service more constant and generous, in order that 
henceforward, when the voice of Your grace is 
heard in my soul, no obstacle may be capable of 
hindering my progress toward You. Amen. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



123 



EXAMPLE. 

William of Malmesbury tells us, in his History 
of the Kings of England, that King Edward the 
Elder, had a daughter named Eadburga, who, 
when she was scarcely three years old, gave a sin- 
gular indication of her future sanctity. Her fa- 
ther was inclined to try whether the little girl was 
inclined to God or to the world, and had placed 
in a chamber the symbols of different professions; 
on one side a chalice and the gospels ; on the 
other bracelets and necklaces. Hither the child 
was brought in the arms of her attendant, and 
sitting on her father's knee was desired to choose 
which she pleased. Rejecting the earthly orna- 
ments with stern regard, she instantly fell prostrate 
before the chalice and gospels, and worshipped 
them with infant adoration. The company pres- 
ent exclaimed aloud, and fondly hailed the child's 
future sanctity ; while her father embraced her in 
an endearing manner, and, rejoicing in her choice, 
bade her follow whither the Divinity called her. 
She became in due time a nun at Winchester, and 
was afterward canonized by the Church. 



124 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE IX. OF JANUARY. 

The arrival of the Magi at Jerusalem. 

It is not only at the beginning of his career 
that a Christian is exposed to temptation in order 
to deter him from entering upon his journey, or 
to persuade him to retrace his steps. He must 
expect to meet it at every turn during his route, 
and keep himself ever in an attitude of defence 
against its attacks ; it is often when the greater 
difficulties have been overcome, and he seems 
about to reap the fruit of his victories, that it. ap- 
pears most threatening and dangerous, so that un 
til the day of his death he must watch vigilantly, 
and, distrusting himself, seek his salvation and de- 
liverance from the power of grace alone. The 
trials reserved for the Magi on their arrival at Je- 
rusalem, will prove to you, dear child, the solidity 
and importance of these reflections. 

It certainly seems to us, that, after tearing them- 
selves away from their own country and passing so 
happily through so many unknown regions, they 
must have triumphed over the obstacles most to 
be dreaded; and that, once arrived in Jerusalem, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 125 

the capital city of the new-born King, whom they 
came from such a distance to seek, every one 
would be eager to aid them in their search after 
Him. But all turned out quite differently. That 
hidden God who had attracted them and led them 
miraculously so far upon their journey, wished 
to prove their fidelity before rewarding it, and to 
instruct by the example of their patience those who 
were one day to be the inheritors of their faith. 
Think, now, dear child, to what trouble, inquie- 
tude, and discouragement you would have given 
way, had your fidelity been exposed to the same 
trials which they had to undergo. The first was, 
their apparent abandonment by Heaven. Scarcely 
have they entered Jerusalem, when the tutelary 
star which had guided them ever since their set- 
ting out, in so sure a manner, suddenly leaves them ; 
the star disappeared. Yet in what place and under 
what circumstances could its light be more neces- 
sary to the Magi, than in that city, as they knew 
neither its king, its people, its language, nor its 
customs? Had they not just cause for alarm in 
that sudden disappearance of their Heavenly guide? 
Had they deceived themselves, and taken a com- 
mon meteor, a simple freak of nature, for a mirac- 
ulous preadmonition ? But no, faith which is 
alone capable of reassuring the heart of man, could 
11* 



126 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



not, I do not say, induce trouble, but even suffer 
it to reign therein ; and that it was which inspired 
them with the courageous thought of asking open- 
ly : Where was the new-born King of the Jews ? 

The second trial was the fear of the anger of 
Herod, upon .hearing both of their arrival in his 
dominions and of the cause of their journey thither. 
Would he not see in those strangers dangerous 
enemies for his people, and treat them accord- 
ingly ? But the Magi experienced no alarm. They 
were not more disconcerted by the emotion which 
their question and its answer excited in Jerusalem, 
and at the court of Herod, than they had been 
by the heedlessness with which the people had 
formerly listened to the news of so important an 
event. They thought only of profiting by the 
grace bestowed upon them. Without stopping 
for useless questions, they asked the only one 
necessary for the end they had in view : Where 
is he that is born King of the Jevjs? for we know 
of His birth. We have seen His star in the Kast, 
and are come to adore Him ; and as soon as they 
heard the answer they set out without delay. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the conduct 
of the Magi in Jerusalem. 

The Child. — My Divine Saviour ! Your judg- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



127 



ments are impenetrable, whether You bestow light 
upon us, or whether You withdraw it from us! 
but it is distressing to lose it. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, when men, 
through their own fault, lose the light of my 
grace, the sight of faith or tke sentiments of my 
fear and love, they have but too much cause for 
sorrow; but when that subtraction is merely a 
trial, they should remain at peace. 

The Child. — But O Divine Jesus ! how can I 
distinguish between the punishment and the trial ? 

The Infant Jesus.— My child, the punishment 
generally follows quickly upon the sin, whether 
of negligence or infidelity ; and the guilty heart, 
easily recognizes it, unless it has become blinded 
and hardened by habitual and multiplied faults. 
But such trials are rare at your age, my mercy 
considers its weakness. 

The Child.— By what mark, dear Master, could 
I at once recognize the punishment ? since I hope 
Your goodness will never permit me to fall into 
blindness and hardness of heart. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, have you never 
found yourself not only without relish for your 
religious duties, but without even any sentiment 
of piety, and feeling the greatest reluctance for 
the most indispensable practices required by the 



128 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Church? Nothing then reminded you of the 
presence of God ; your heart was not raised tow- 
ard Him either to adore, to praise or to bless 
Him. You passed whole days in that state, perhaps 
even weeks, uneasy and discontented with your- 
self and with other*, and were only aroused by 
some serious fault, some exceedingly humiliating 
fall, which startled you and opened your eyes. 
That was the punishment of negligence and in- 
fidelity. 

The Child. — O my Divine Master ! what was 
then my unhappiness ! What internal disquietude 
and uneasiness I suffered during those days of 
fatal slumber, and what grief and anguish upon 
awakening. 

The Infant Jesus.— My child, I have forgotten 
them all in my mercy, I blotted them out in your 
tears ; but never forget them yourself : see and 
know how bitter it is to have abandoned God, and 
persevere in fervor and vigilance. 

PRACTICE. 

Confess your faith without ostentation and with- 
out human respect. 

PRAYER. 

0 my God, what just reason I have to fear 
that false shame which has sometimes withheld 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



129 



me from the performance of my duties, what in- 
gratitude I should display if, after being over- 
whelmed with Your graces, I should abandon Your 
service through some paltry interest of vanity or 
pleasures. But what a terrible misfortune, since if 
I have the meanness to deny You before men, You 
will deny me before the face of Your Father in 
Heaven. No, no, dearest Master, it shafl not be 
so. Whatever may happen, I will always confess 
You before men, that You may also confess me 
before Your Holy Angels. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

Romanus Diogenes, Emperor of the East, having 
haughtily refused the peace that the Sultan Olubar- 
selan offered him through his ambassadors, and hav- 
ing attacked him with a part of his army, he was 
completely vanquished, and fell himself into the 
power of his enemy. One day that he was at the 
table of the -Sultan, the latter asked him, "What 
would you have done to me if I had fallen into 
your power V The Emperor frankly assured him, 
" I should have made you endure all kinds of 
torment." " Well," replied the Sultan, " I do not 
wish to imitate your cruelty, for I hear it said that 
your Jesus Christ commands peace and forgiveness 
of injuries, and that resisting the proud, He gives 



130 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



His grace to the humble." He then ■ made a per- 
petual peace with the Emperor, and having prom- 
ised that he would never invade the Roman em- 
pire, he sent him back free, with all the Christian 
prisoners, as Baronius tells us. 



* 

MEDITATION. 

FOR THE X. OF JANUARY. 

The Magi leave Jerusalem. 

Yesterday's meditation, dear child, must have 
given you some idea of the trials to which the 
faith of the Magi was exposed after their arrival 
in Jerusalem. When we are strongly preoccupied 
with an object, and that object is an important 
one ; when we have devoted to it both time and 
trouble, we are tempted to think that all the world 
should take a similar interest in it. From that fact 
you may judge of the astonishment of the traveller 
kings, when, upon the very theatre of the event 
which had led their steps from such a distance, 
they perceived that no one paid the slightest at- 
tention to it, although those to whom they spoke 
of it, knew perfectly well all the principal circum- 
stances connected with its arrival. Add to this, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



131 



the disappearance of their heavenly guide, the dis- 
trust which they had conceived of Herod's inten- 
tions, and that of which they were themselves the 
object ; all these things can give you some idea of 
their painful and embarrassing situation. And yet, 
perhaps, the most enticing trial to which they were 
exposed does not occur to your mind. Namely, 
that so renowned a city as Jerusalem must have 
contained thousands of objects well calculated to 
interest the curiosity of men so deeply versed in 
science as the Magi, while their opulence would 
furnish them the means to taste of its pleasures. 
The great fatigue they had undergone must also 
have prompted them to take rest ; and during the 
interval devoted to such necessary relaxation, they 
might be "enabled to convince themselves that they 
had not been deceived in the spot pointed out to 
them as the birthplace of the King of the Jews ; 
and in case a snare had been laid for them, they 
might contrive to escape both the shame and dan- 
ger of falling into it. Whether such reflections 
entered into their minds or no, it is certain that 
they did not delay their journey. As soon as they 
had heard the answer of the doctors of the law 
they hastened to take leave of the king and to 
turn their steps toward Bethlehem. 

Happy are you, dear child, when you have gen- 



132 THE LITTLE MONTH 

erously resisted temptation ; and the victory is the 
sweeter, in proportion as you realize that resistance 
was not so difficult as it appeared in the moment 
of trial, and the fruits thereof are the more delight- 
ful as you see clearly the dangerous consequences 
attending your defeat. Besides which, God al- 
most always, in order to animate your constancy 
and encourage your weakness, immediately rewards 
your fidelity by some one of His consolations, which 
amply repays any sacrifice. That was sensibly ex- 
perienced by the Magi. Scarcely had they left 
Jerusalem, when the heavenly sign reappeared be- 
fore them to direct their path. What happiness 
for them to find in the return of its light, a fresh 
pledge of security and hope, to realize that their 
pious desires had not deceived them, that Heaven 
continued to approve their proceeding, and that 
its aid was assured to their faithful perseverance 
unto their journey's end. 

Consider also their joy at having fulfilled their 
mission in the capital of Judea, at having been the 
first to proclaim the birth of the King of kings, at 
having neither been stopped by the fear of men, 
nor led astray by the seductions of the world and 
its allurements. Therefore the Gospel tells us they 
rejoiced with exceeding great jog, because at the 
moment when the heavenly sign re-enlightened 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



133 



their eyes, that ray of grace which had previously 
shone upon their hearts, filled them with still 
greater joy and delight. Thus, dear child, the 
children of God have joy even in this valley of 
tears, and their joys are pure and without alloy. 
Those of the children of the world are always more 
or less mingled with bitterness and followed by 
remorse. Courageously resist temptation. The 
hour of trial will pass away, but the fruit of the 
victory will last forever. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the prompti- 
tude of the Magi in leaving Jerusalem, 

The Child. — Divine Saviour ! it seems to me 
that the star, whilst reappearing to the eyes of 
the Magi, has brought back joy into my soul. 

The Infant Jesus. — Do not be surprised, my 
child ; the Gospel contains a principle of true en- 
joyment, which is communicated to faithful hearts, 
and, moreover, the fresh apparition of the miracu- 
lous star being but an image of that fulness of light 
into which the soul enters after leaving this world, 
hope causes it to assume the form of reality. 

The Child.- — It is true, dear Lord, that frequents 
ly, while contemplating Your Divine works, T experi- 
ence somewhat of those sentiments which animated 
those under whose eyes You performed them. 
12 



134 THE LITTLE MONTH 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, my mysteries, 
doctrines, and miracles, concerned all times and 
places ; in all that I did during my mortal life, I 
had in view all my disciples who should believe in 
me unto the consummation of the. world. 

The Child. — My Divine Master, the sight of 
the excessive joy which overwhelmed the Magi 
when the star reappeared to them, causes me to 
imagine their unhappiness whilst they were de- 
prived of its light. 

The Infant Jesus. — Every trial, my child, 
brings wuth it a feeling of regret, otherwise where 
w^ould be its merit ? but the joy which the return 
of the miraculous lio;ht caused the Magi was far 
greater than the sorrow caused by the privation of 
it, because I softened the pain, and heaped up the 
measure of their consolation. I wished to reveal 
in their persons the secret of my designs in the 
sacrifices w T hich I impose upon my disciples. 

The Child. — My dear Master, although You 
walked early through difficult roads, and invite us 
to follow You therein, bearing our cross daily, do 
You yet permit us to experience heartfelt joy ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Where should joy be 
found, dear child, save in a truly Christian heart ? 
It is only in serving me that you can find peace, 
that peace wh ick passeth all understanding. Which 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



135 



were your happiest days, dear child? Surely 
they were uot those wherein you only listened to 
your blind desires, and followed your own caprices. 
The happiest ones which ever shone upon you, 
were those days of piety and innocence which 
fled so swiftly in the accomplishment of your 
duties. Thus it is with all men. I have said it. 
The reign of God is within you ; and that reign is 
peace and jog in the Holy Ghost. 

The Child. — 0 my Saviour ! how great is 
Your mercy. You wish me to serve You joyfully. 
How happy I am to be attached to the service of 
so good a Master! Deign to make me a good 
and faithful servant. 

PRACTICE. 

Avoid dangerous amusements. 

PRAYER. 

Dearest Saviour ! behold the great and pressing 
danger which threatens me ; the attractions of 
pleasure and the charms of idle amusements. In 
vain do I turn away mine eyes from them, they 
penetrate deeply into my soul, and begin to sow 
trouble therein, and yet, dear Lord, I have been 
told, and I know from experience, that worldly 
joys are deceptive. They cause us to lose peace, 



136 THE LITTLE MONTH 

and engender remorse. Divine Saviour, steel my 
heart against them, since it belongs to You alone. 
Fortify it, enlighten it, and render all earthly de- 
lights insipid to it, in order that it may find con- 
solation and happiness in You alone. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

Father Francis Albertin relates, in his treatise 
on the Angel Guardian, that a young student stud- 
ying at Zuolz, a town in the diocese of Utrecht, 
was one day in company with some libertines of 
his own age, who brought him to a house where, 
with the purity of his heart, he would have lost 
the flower of his virginity. However, grace ren- 
dering him victorious over the assaults of the 
devil, he left his companions, and quitted that 
house to return home in haste, for night had ar- 
rived. On his way home he thought of the dan- 
ger he had just escaped, and the misfortune it 
would have been had he lost the precious treasure 
of his chastity. Whilst he reasoned thus, he be- 
held coming toward him a young man of wonder- 
ful beauty, who struck him with so much force 
that he was overthrown ; at the same time ad- 
dressed him thus : " Learn from hence to fly bad 
company." The student trembling, arose some 
time after, and, reflecting seriously on what had 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



137 



passed, saw clearly that this young man was his 
guardian angel, whom God had sent to reprove 
him for his fault. Having made his thanksgiving 
to Jesus Christ, and to his good angel, he made a 
firm resolution , to fly henceforth from all bad 
company. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XI. OF JANUARY. 

The Star conducts the Magi to Bethlehem. 

We have left the Magi, dear child, in the midst 
of their transports of joy, and we have ourselves 
shared in their consolation the more appropriately, 
since in this star, which was sent to lead them to 
the Redeemer, we have recognized that light of 
faith, the infallible guide of our earthly pilgrimage, 
and our firm support in the midst of the dangers 
of this world. Let us retrace our steps, and rejoin 
those loving and happy travellers, in order to 
gather instruction from the pious dispositions 
which animate them, and to join our adorations 
and offerings to those which they carried to the 
crib of the Infant Jesus. 

Behold them, then, dear child, advancing with 
fresh ardor under the guidance of the star. It 
12* 



138 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



goes before them ; but the vivacity of their de 
sires leaves it far behind. In proportion as they 
approach the end of their journey, faith, hope, and 
divine love fill them with the sweetest sentiments 
of delight. Sometimes they pour forth their 
souls in heavenly conversations; but more fre- 
quently they silently confine in the depths of their 
hearts that felicity with which they are filled to 
overflowing. Oh ! cries one, how I long to see 
the royal Infant, to kiss His sacred feet, and to 
express to Him all the love with which He in- 
spires me ! And his eyes fill with tears. Oh ! 
cries another, if the mere desire and hope of see- 
ing Him fill our hearts with such lively emotion, 
how will we be ravished with delight in His pres- 
ence ! How happy must be the mother of such a 
child ! says a third. Whilst thus, by turns recol- 
lected or transported with joy, they gave them- 
selves up to the charm of heavenly affections, sud- 
denly the town of Bethlehem burst upon their 
sight. Uncertain, however, if the city which they 
perceive, be the one to which they are bound, they 
raise their eyes to the star, and their hearts to- 
ward the God who directs it. What happiness ! 
the celestial guide stands still, and, shedding a 
more brilliant light than before, seems to say to 
them, Behold the birth-place of Him whom you 
seek. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



139 



Entering into the house, they found the child, 
with Mary his mother, and falling down, they 
adored him. It is in those simple words, dear 
child, that the Evangelist narrates the entrance of 
the Eastern kings into the abode of the King of 
kings. Was it to the stable and the manger that 
the Magi were led by means of the star ? Had 
Joseph and Mary left the Infant there ? had they 
sought to procure Him a more comfortable lodg- 
ing, or had they been unable to do so ? Let us 
content ourselves with the words of the Gospel, 
The star stood over where the child was. Doubt- 
less in the place of His birth, or at least near it, 
since it was thither that the Magi had been direct- 
ed ; and we must believe it to have been in Beth- 
lehem itself, in order that those pious worshippers 
might see the accomplishment of the prophecy 
which had foretold it to them. 

Recall to } r our mind, dear child, the whole con- 
duct of the Magi, from their setting out until their 
arrival in Bethlehem, arid consider their admirable 
spirit of faith. How prompt and generous it had 
been ! They left their country and their relations 
without hesitation or delay. We have seen His 
star, they say simply, and we are come. Remark 
its constant character. Nothing can stop nor dis- 
courage it ; not even the withdrawal of the super- 



140 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



natural means upon which the whole success of 
their enterprise seemed to depend. Admire its 
perseverance. It caused them to triumph over 
fears, pleasures, and regrets ; and at the end of 
their journey it rose up in its full perfection. Far 
from being disconcerted at the sight of the pover- 
ty surrounding the Infant Jesus, it discovered and 
recognized in Him the Grod and Monarch of the 
Universe. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the arrived 
of the Magi in Bethlehem. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour, when I consider 
the constancy with which the Magi corresponded 
to Your grace, I feel greatly discouraged with my- 
self. 

The Infant Jesus. — That feeling would be just, 
were constancy in well-doing merely man's own 
work ; but as it is a gift of my mercy, man should 
hope all, and ask all from it. 

The Child. — But, dearest Master, why should 
I not feel alarmed when at each moment directly 
opposite desires are struggling in my heart, when 
my good-will is so weak, and my evil inclinations 
so strong ? 

The Infant Jesus began : Dear child, I tell 
you that from me all strength comes. It is I 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



141 



alone who give the desire to do well, and the con- 
stancy necessary to accomplish it. Furthermore, 
never forget, that if self-distrust is a grace, dis- 
couragement is a temptation. 

The Child. — What must I do, dear Master, in 
order to remain ever-faithful to you ? 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, watch carefully 
over your own heart, to avoid levity and infidelity: 
as soon as you feel the first approach of discour- 
agement, throw yourself into the bosom of my 
mercy; and, at the first instance of presumption, 
humble yourself by the consideration of 'your 
weakness and misery. 

The Child. — My Saviour, I shall always need 
Your light to direct me, as the star guided the 
Magi, if I would walk with wisdom through the 
trials of this world. 

The Infant Jesus. — My dear child, it is not 
my light which is wanting to souls, but their at- 
tention in consulting it. Light comes from above, 
and their looks are directed toward earth, their 
attention is absorbed by its vanities. If the Magi 
had not lifted their eyes toward heaven, they 
would never have perceived the salutary sign which 
was to lead them to the feet of their Saviour. 

PRACTICE. 

Learn to serve God joyfully. 



142 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRAYER. 

Divine Saviour, deign to teach me more and 
more clearly the happiness of a soul freed from the 
slavery of the passions. Since you wish me to 
serve You with joy, give me that sweet serenity 
which is not dissipation, that habitual recollection 
which is not sorrow, in order that, removed from 
all excess, I may show to all, and cause all to de- 
sire to experience, the happiness of belonging to so 
good a Master. Amen. 

• EXAMPLE. 

It is related of St. Anthony the Solitary, that 
he lost his parents before he was twenty years of 
age ; and that by their death he found himself 
possessed of considerable wealth. Uncertain of 
the use he should make of his fortune and his lib- 
erty, he entered one day into the church as they 
were reading these words of the Gospel: "G-o 
sell what thou hast and give it to the poor, and 
thou shalt have treasure in heaven." (St. Matthew, 
xix. 21.) Anthony considered these words as ad- 
dressed to himself, and, returning home, distribu- 
ted to his neighbors the wealth he had inherited. 
The rest of his estate and furniture he sold, and 
gave the price to the poor, and quitted the world 
to embrace a religious life. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



143 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XII. OF JANUARY. 

The Magi offer their presents to the Infant Jesus. 

Behold now the Magi arrived in that Bethle- 
hem after which, during the happy moments as 
well as during the trials of their journey, they 
had so ardently sighed. Think, dear child, with 
what pious impressions they stepped over the 
threshold of the house which contained that Bles- 
sed Infant, whose birth Heaven had taken such 
care to proclaim ; with what tender veneration 
they approached Him, and prostrated themselves 
before His cradle, by turns contemplating Him 
and imploring His mercy, thanking God and con- 
gratulating His Blessed Mother. Words fail be- 
fore such a subject ; no mortal hand can paint so 
divine a scene. Who could portray the jo} 7 of 
those supernaturally instructed men, so miracu- 
lously led to the abode of the Word made flesh, 
and to the sight of His Virgin Mother who pre- 
sented Him to their adoration ? Uninstructed 
Christians, or those who are weak in the faith, are, 
as it were, embarrassed for the Magi, at the state 
of poverty in which they find the Infant God. I 
love to think, dear child, that you have already 



144 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



sufficiently penetrated their spirit, to understand 
that neither gold nor purple would have elevated 
His dignity in those eyes to whom the Celestial 
Light had revealed it in so striking a manner, and 
that, under those humble appearances, their faith 
discovered the magnificence of Him who had 
clothed the firmament with its splendor, and shed 
over the earth the riches of His goodness. 

But it was not enough for their piety to exhaust 
itself in holy affections, in outbursts of admiration, 
respect, and love ; it must further declare and show 
itself by its gifts. It was the custom of the East 
never to appear before their rulers without offer- 
ing them presents, and it was doubtless in con- 
formity with that habit that the Magi had brought 
with them precious gifts destined for the Infant 
God whom they came to adore. But the nature 
and choice of their offerings bear a particular 
character, as the holy Fathers have remarked, and 
in them they discover the symbol and expression, 
as it were, of the faith of the Magi. They gave 
Him, they tell us, gold as to a King ; by the in- 
cense they honored His divinity ; and by the 
myrrh, His humanity and burial, because that was 
the perfume used in embalming the dead. The 
Church has approved their interpretation, and finds 
in it important considerations for the sanctification 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



145 



of her children ; she teaches them that the gold 
which they should offer to Jesus Christ, is a pure 
love and ardent charity ; that the Christian's in- 
cense is, those desires and prayers which the 
Holy Scripture calls the sacrifice of the lips ; the 
myrrh is that spirit of penance by which they 
unite themselves to the passion and death of their 
Saviour, and bury in His sepulchre all the evil in- 
clination of their corrupt nature. Dear child, since 
Jesus is your King, promise Him to remain ever- 
faithful to Him ; since He is your victim, unite 
yourself to His sacrifice, and generously immolate 
to Him all that is displeasing to Him in your con- 
duct ; finally, since He is your God, give your en- 
tire love and your whole heart to Him without 
reserve. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the presents 
of the Magi. 

The Child. — Divine Jesus ! how I regret that 
I have not some rich treasure in my possession, 
that I might present it to You ! 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, gold and silver 
are mine, all the riches that men possess are the 
gift of my goodness. The only offering worthy of 
me is the gift of their hearts. 

The Child. — Poor though my heart be, loving 
13 



146 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Saviour, it has long belonged to You. But still 
it would rejoice, had it, like the Magi, rich gifts to 
lay at Your feet. 

The Infant Jesus. — What rendered their offer- 
ings worthy of me, dear child, and gave them 
merit in my eyes, was the faith which prompted 
them, and their punctual docility to the movements 
of my grace. 

The Child. — O my Saviour ! when You re- 
vealed Yourself so mercifully to these souls, how 
could they help recognizing You as their God ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Has the star which guided 
them now lost its brightness ? Does it not shine 
with a still greater lustre in my Holy Gospel ? Why 
do so many hearts refuse me their homage ? Does 
not the light of my grace enlighten your soul ? 
Why, then, do you so often refuse to make the 
smallest sacrifice ? 

The Child. — 0 my Sovereign Master f I can 
only answer by my sighs. 

The Infant Jesus. — By what exercise of pen- 
ance do you associate yourself with my sorrows ? 
And, carried away as you are by earthly vanities, 
dare you say that you are dead to the world, which 
you should be by reason of your baptism, and 
buried with your Saviour ? 

The Child. — God of mercy ! take pity on me. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



147 



The Infant Jesus., — Henceforth, at least, be 
more generous in your whole conduct. Give your 
desires, regrets, love, repentance, in a word, all 
that you are, without reserve to Him who only 
asks it of you in order to overwhelm you with His 
blessings. Accustom yourself early, dear child, to 
behold me in the persons of my poor. The small- 
est gifts which your charity bestows upon them 
will be deposited in my heart, and will insure you 
all its love. 

PRACTICE. 

Look upon Jesus Christ in the persons of the 
poor. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Jesus, fill my heart with that compassion 
with which Yours was filled for us ; give me bowels 
of mercy quick to perceive suffering, and generosity 
to relieve it promptly. Eemove from me the de- 
sire of riches ; teach me to despise them. May 
Your love be my treasure, and the possession of 
Your grace my felicity. Be all my inheritance in 
the land of the living. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

St. Hedwiges, Duchess of Poland, loved the 
pcfor so much, that she washed their feet, kissed 
them, and then gave them alms. Frequently she 



148 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



washed the feet and kissed the ulcers of the lepers, 
and exhausted her resources in relieving the neces- 
sitous. In a word, she loved them so tenderly, 
that she purchased from them the bread that had 
been given them in alms, and kissed it, as being 
something sacred. She had also, in honor of Jesus 
Christ and His Apostles, thirteen poor persons, 
whom she always maintained and brought with 
her wherever she travelled. She waited upon them 
herself at table, where they were served with good 
meat before she took her own coarse refection. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XIII. OF JANUARY. 

Return of the Magi to their own land. • 

Herod, either instructed by the doctors of the 
law whom he had consulted, not believing in the 
Divine oracle, or feeling sure of being able to 
counteract its effect by his own skilfulness, had 
taken the Magi aside privately, and after carefully 
questioning them upon the time of the star which 
had appeared to them, affecting an air of goodness 
and confidence, said to them, " Go into Bethlehem, 
and diligently inquire after the Child, and when 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



149 



you have found Him, bring me word again, that 
I also may come and adore Him." In his cruelty 
he sought to plunge a poignard into His bosom, 
and feigned a desire to adore Him in order to 
cover his crime. But God breaks up the de- 
signs of the wicked, and overthrows them. It 
would have been easy for Herod to spy out the 
course of the Wise Men, to send upon their steps 
some one of those perverse and wicked men who 
were ever ready to obey his most barbarous orders. 
But no, trusting to his dissimulation, he awaited 
their return — he lost in conjectures the time neces- 
sary for the execution of his crime, and when he 
sought to carry it out, the Infant Jesus was in 
security. The Gospel tells us that, the Magi, hav- 
ing been warned in sleep not to return to Herod, 
they went back another way into their own coun- 
try. 

Think, dear child, upon the consolation they 
must have experienced from such numerous evi- 
dences of the constant and watchful protection 
of Providence. How contentedly they returned 
homeward, happy in having seen that King of the 
Jews whom they had come from afar to seek, who 
had been pointed out to them both by the Star 
and by the Prophets, in having found Him, whether 
in the stable or in some equally humble abode, 
13* 



150 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



without pomp and without display; but, above 
all, happy in the use they had made of their riches 
by offering them to Him. That was the recom- 
pense of their faith, rectitude, and simplicity. 
Thus they triumphed over the crooked policy of 
Herod. But, dear child, their return into their 
own country, by another way, encloses an instruc- 
tion which is not to be neglected, and which you 
must immediately apply to yourself. 

After infidelities more or less culpable, after a 
state of neglect and indifference more or less pro- 
longed, you have been brought to the Infant Jesus ; 
you have found Him, dear child ; you have offered 
Him your gifts, your desires, your regrets, all your 
affections, and your whole being. Examine care- 
fully by what path you wish to walk hereafter: 
remember that you can no longer follow that broad 
road which leads to perdition ; you can no longer 
serve God with inconstancy, nor love nor abandon 
Him through caprice. You also have received 
your warning. If you return toward Herod, tow- 
ard that friend whose advice has been so fatal 
to your innocence, to that company whose malice 
has set snares for your simplicity and piety, you 
will be led astray. You can no longer repeat 
what you have so often heard, of those books and 
amusements forbidden by religion : that you see 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 151 

no harm in them, that you have nothing to fear 
from them, that your motives in using them are 
pure, and your heart innocent. Your intentions 
cannot be purer than were those of the Magi ; and 
yet, had they not been docile to the warnings of 
Heaven, had they returned to Herod, victims of 
his perfidy, they would have lost the fruit of their 
journey, and perilled the life of the Infant Jesus. 
Eenewed by His grace, walk faithfully, dear child, 
in the new road, that is to say, by the paths of 
prudence, constancy and fidelity. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the return of 
the Magi into their own country. 

The Child. — It appears to me, Divine Jesus, 
that had I, like the Magi, been led to Your cradle, 
nothing could ever have torn me away from it. I 
should have taken up my abode there. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, the effect of my 
presence in the soul and the first-fruit of my 
grace, is a brind obedience to God's will in what- 
ever way it is manifested. 

The Child. — But, dearest Lord, what could 
they have desired to see, after having seen You ? 
What conversations could have the least attrac- 
tions for those who had conversed with the Queen 
of Angels? 



152 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



The Infant Jesus. — My child, this earth is not 
a place of contentment and the clear sun of the 
Divinity for my disciples, but one of faith and 
trial; before they can enjoy the blessings which I 
have in store for them, they must labor to merit 
them. 

The Child. — 0 my Divine Master ! the Magi, 
receiving, as they did, such glorious light from 
their loving contemplatiou of Your Adorable Per- 
son, must have been anxious to spread it abroad 
amongst their own people ; but what can a feeble 
child like me do for Your glory ? 

The Infant Jesus. — When there is question of 
laboring for my glory, the most enlightened man 
is worth no more than a child; but I make elo- 
quent the tongues of infants, at pleasure ; besides, 
dear child, it is much more by actions than by 
words, that you can prove to me your gratitude, 
and render me glory. 

practice. 

Remember constantly that we are pilgrims on 
this earth. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Lord, since You have taught me that 
this earth is but a land of exile, do not suffer my 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 153 

soul to become attached to it, nor to forget her 
blessed country. How could I ever cling to any 
other abode than the one which You inhabit? It 
is You, You alone, whom I wish to see, 0 Infinite 
Beauty ! You, whom I wish to possess, O good- 
ness, riches, source and principle of every bless- 
ing. Nourish in me this holy desire, 0 good 
Jesus, in order that it may insure me the posses- 
sion of You hereafter. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

The Monk Frodoard, speaking of St. Remigius, 
in his history of the Church of Rheims, says : 
" That his sanctity moved not only rational crea- 
tures, but even tamed those that are without rea- 
son, and that one day when he was giving a famil- 
iar repast to some intimate friends, and rejoicing 
to see them happy, some sparrows came down 
and began to eat some crumbs out of his hand ;" 
he relates also that St. Basle, who lived as an an- 
chorite in the mountain near Rheims, having saved 
a poor beast that had fled from the forest pursued 
by a hunter, whose dogs seemed to forget all their 
ferocity in approaching his little cell, it used to be 
remarked by all hunters that ever afterward any 
beast who could gain the heights in that forest was 
safe, for that then the dogs would lose their ardor 



154 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



and the hunters their courage. The same affection 
for animals is expressly ascribed to St. Anselm, 
St. Francis, and many other great servants of God. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XIV. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus flees into Egypt, 

" After the Magi were departed, behold an 
Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, 
saying : Arise and take the Child and His Mother 
and fly into Egypt : and be there until I shall tell 
thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will 
seek the child to destroy him." How many les- 
sons are contained in those few Gospel words ! 
What abundant matter for reflection in the rgys- 
tery of the flight of the Infant Jesus ! Accustom 
yourself, dear child, to contemplate and weigh 
with religious attention all those details regarding 
the life of the Redeemer of the World, which 
the Evangelists have collected and which interest 
our faith so strongly. It is only because men 
have so vague an idea, and so superficial a knowl- 
edge of them that the greater part are not more 
touched by them. For that end, dear child, re- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



155 



member three most important facts : Firstly, That 
it was not the same with Jesus Christ as with other 
children, whose knowledge increases but slowly, 
in proportion as they grow in years ; but w r as per- 
fect in Him from the first moment of His In- 
carnation. Secondly, That although exteriorly 
He differed in nowise from an ordinary infant, 
and that He appeared inactive, He it was, how- 
ever, who operated and directed all the mysteries 
of His Infancy, since it was He who enlightened 
and guided Mary and Joseph. Thirdly, That al- 
though He only expressed His sufferings by moans 
and tears, the feeling of sorrow equalling in Him 
the knowledge thereof, in all the multiplied trials 
of the Holy Family it was always He who bore 
their weight and exhausted their bitterness. Thus, 
dear child, Jesus did not enjoy that privilege of 
the earliest age, namely, that of being exempt 
from the disquietudes and troubles of this life. 
Never forget that fact, and in the midst of the joy- 
ous images which His first mysteries offer to your 
mind, always recognize in Him the innocent victim 
of your sins and the dearest object of your love. 

Such considerations will powerfully assist you 
in discovering all the rigors contained in that 
order transmitted from Heaven to the chief of the 
Holy Family : "Arise," said the Angel to Joseph. 



156 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



What ! m the middle of the night ? Might he 
not wait until morning ? No, no : " Tate the In- 
fant and His Mother and fly into Egypt." It was 
not an ordinary departure ; it embraced all that 
can be imagined most painful and humiliating ; a 
hurried flight, through the darkness, without tak- 
ing time to provide for their most pressing neces- 
sities. And how long was their exile to last ? 
The heavenly messenger does not know : Remain 
there until I shall tell thee. Perhaps, dear child, you 
have already secretly addressed to me a question 
which naturally presents itself to the mind. Were 
there no other means than flight, to preserve the 
life of the Holy Child ? That question is not hard 
to answer, or rather, it is not permitted us to doubt 
that Divine Providence had a thousand ways at 
His disposition. But God does not do every thing 
by miracle ; it is His custom to follow the ordi- 
nary course of events in things which depend on 
Him, as well as extraordinary ones. Furthermore, 
dear child, the Son of G-od did not come to as- 
tonish us by prodigies of power, but to instruct 
us by prodigies of humiliation. What could be 
better calculated to enlighten us than the spectacle 
of that flight. The Almighty reduced to fleeing 
from His creature, the Author of Life, the Saviour 
of all men, seeking no other means of safety from 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



157 



the homicidal hatred which pursues Him. That 
mystery offers us, if possible, a still more touching 
lesson. This earth, to which men so fondly cling, 
is, after all, a land of exile. Banished from heaven, 
we could never have regained the road thither- 
ward, if Jesus had not associated Himself to our 
fault, if He had not made Himself an exile like 
us. It was to console, to teach, and to direct us 
in our exile that He Himself fled from before His 
people. Unite yourself in your turn to His mer- 
ciful flight, whatever sacrifice He may require of 
you ; there is no security for you but near Him, 
nor is there any salvation for you, but in flight 
from the world. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the flight 
into Egypt. 

The Child. — Can it be possible, dear Saviour ! 
that, scarcely born, hatred already pursues You, 
and threatens You with death. And You can only 
escape the danger by flight. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, on entering into 
the world, I offered myself as a victim. It was 
not to shrink from the sacrifice that I took refuge 
in flight, but in order to obey the commands of 
my Father and to instruct men. 

The Child.— 0 my Saviour! even whilst I 
14 



135 



lament the humiliation and hardship of your flight, 
I cannot help rejoicing at it since it preserved jqu 
from the fury of Herod'- muelty. 

The Infant Jesus. — Oh! at Least by that humil- 
iation I repairecLthe outrage man had committed 
against the Divine Majesty, an i by means •:: my 
flight I brought him back into his own country. 
But I have still to snbmit daily to the same humil- 
iation which is consummated by the loss of souls. 

The Child. — My Saviour, since You nave risen 
from the dead and ascended to Your glorious abode, 
humiliation and suffering can no linger reach You. 

The Ike ant Jesus. — That is true, hit child, yet 
Christians, as much as in them lies, condemn me 
to humiliation in their heart-, by forcing me to 
banish myself from them. and. by sa Tombing me tr 
their criminal passions, they pursue me unto death 
with more cruel barbarity than that of Herod. 

The Child. — 0 my Divine Master : -hat a ray 
of light ! I was always incense i at Eered's ::ime. 
and yet I never thought that I ba --. m a tb : us an i 
times guilty of a similar one-. Hb~ often nave I 
forced You to depart from my soul '. now many 
times have I driven You from the throne of my 
heart to place upon it in Your steau. ruble, sensu- 
ality, falsehood, and all other tyrants who were to 
render me so unhappy ! 0 Jesus, rny King! in 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



159 



mercy take possession of niy soul forever : reign 
in the midst of Your enemies. 

PRACTICE. 

Take a firm resolution to avoid the occasions of 
sin. 

PRAYER. 

0 my Divine Saviour ! perhaps I have had the 
misfortune to slay You in my heart through sin ; 
but I am only too sure of having frequently forced 
You to depart from it. 0 Jesus ! to have ex- 
posed You to such a humiliation ! to have driven 
away my friend, my Father, my Saviour ! O 
Divine Infant ! that thought overwhelms me, and 
cavers me with confusion. Pardon me, or rather 
ratify the pardon, which I hope You have already 
granted me, and remain with me until my latest 
breath. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

The venerable Sist er Jane of Jesus and Mary, a 
Franciscan nun, whilst she was one day meditating 
on the Infant Jesus being persecuted by Herod, 
heard a great noise as of armed men pursuing some 
one, and then saw before her a beautiful boy look- 
ing much distressed, who seemed to be running 



160 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



away, and who said to her : " Oh, Jane, help me, 
and save me ! I am Jesus of Nazareth ; I am flying 
from sinners who want to take my life away and 
persecute me worse than Herod; do you save me. 1 ' 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XV. OF JANUARY. 

The Holy Innocents. 

I now present to you, dear child, a most con- 
soling subject for meditation. When we begin 
truly to love Jesus Christ, we experience the desire 
to glorify Him, and lament if we do not possess 
the means so to do ; we wish to teach all hearts to 
know and praise Him, and we see no other means 
to accomplish it but by our prayers and loving 
desires. The Gospel this day presents to your 
consideration little children who have rendered 
Him similar testimony, not by their words, but by 
their deaths, and who, purified by the baptism of 
blood and by their Saviour's grace, winged their 
flight into heaven, ere they had been spoiled by 
the corruption of earth. 

Herod seeing that he had been deceived by the 
Magi, was greatly enraged, and also overwhelmed 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



1(51 



with fear. In order to compass the ^destruction of 
Him whom he dreaded, that is to say, of the Mes- 
siah, The Desired of all Nations, in a more certain 
manner, he conceived the horrible project of mas- 
sacring all the children of two years old and under 
who should be found in Bethlehem and all the 
borders thereof. See, my child, to what crimes 
passion leads men, of what excess it renders them 
capable. The soldiers charged with the execution 
of Herod's order, repaired to Bethlehem and the 
surrounding country, and murdered all the children 
within the proscribed ages. The cries of the chil- 
dren and their bereaved mothers were so piercing 
that the Evangelist applies to that event the pro- 
phecy of Jeremiah, contained in these words : " A 
voice was heard in Rama, lamentation and great 
mourning ; Rachel bewailing her children, and 
would not be comforted, because they are not." 
That prophecy, which relates to the captivity of 
Babylon, had its perfect accomplishment in the 
massacre of the Holy Innocents. The Rama men- 
tioned by St. Matthew, was a village not far from 
Bethlehem, and Rachel's tomb was in a field be- 
longing to it. Besides, it is more than probable 
that the massacre extended even to the tribe of 
Benjamin, which was in the neighborhood and was 
descended from Rachel. 
14* 



162 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Can you understand, my dear child, all the hap- 
piness of those children who had the glory of con- 
fessing Jesus Christ at an as:e wherein thev could 
not even invoke His name. They were His first 
Martyrs, they only received life in order to offer it 
as a sacrifice, and they not only suffered death for 
Jesus Christ, but they died in His place. Alas! 
had they lived longer, many among them, per- 
haps, might have been perverted by the world. 
Congratulate, then, dearest child, those happy 
beings who were immolated to preserve the life of 
the Saviour of mankind. Had their mothers un- 
derstood the mystery, they would have uttered 
shouts of praise and benediction instead of weep- 
ing and mourning. " Let us to whom it is re- 
vealed, accompany with songs of delight that 
blessed troop, even into Abraham's bosom. Let 
us bless, glorify, and congratulate them, now 
seated in heaven. Let us salute, in union with the 
whole Church, those her cherished ones, and listen 
to the innocent voice of those first blessed martyrs, 
whilst we see them crowned with glory and hold- 
ing their palms of victory ; let us join ourselves to 
that innocent troop by our simplicity and purity 
of life ; and let us be true children in all wicked- 
ness, in order to honor the Holy Childhood of 
Jesus Christ." 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



163 



Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the massacre 
of the Holy Innocents. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour, how great was 
Your mercy toward those little children ! You 
granted them the crown of victory ere they had 
undergone the pain of the struggle. 

The Infant Jesus. — Man's happiness is always 
the fruit of my grace. I have frequently taken 
away all sense of pain from my martyrs ; those 
children had no knowledge of it ; in the latter, as 
in the former case, I rewarded the merit of suffer- 
ing and death. 

The Child. — It seems to me, 0 my Saviour, 
that I should be most happy to have been immo- 
lated for You, especially when there was only 
question of a momentary sacrifice. 

The Infant Jesus. — Once again, dear child, 
even the smallest privation endured through love 
of me can only be an effect of my grace, and the 
sacrifice of one's life is the greatest of all sacri- 
fices. 

The Child. — And yet, O my dear Master, 
upon many occasions I would rather die than con- 
quer myself, or submit cheerfully to my trials. 

The Infant Jesus. — Sad effect of passion ! ter- 
rible result of that blindness and pride which 



164 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



sooner or later pave the way for the commission 
of that most unpardonable of crimes, and which 
daily precipitate souls into damnation. 

The Child. — Far from me, dear Lord ! that 
wicked contempt of life which leads men to brave 
death, because they believe in no life beyond the 
grave. Deign mercifully to preserve me from such 
a misfortune ! 

The Infant Jesus.— -In order to strengthen that 
pious disposition within you, remember frequently, 
dear child, that every Christian has his own proper 
martyrdom to undergo, and that he must glorify 
me either within himself, by those combats and 
victories of which I am the sole witness, or with- 
out, by the profession of faith and the constant 
practice of all Christian virtues. 

PRACTICE. 

Frequently offer to God the sacrifice of your life. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Jesus ! how sorry I am, that the weak- 
ness of my age will not permit me either to cele- 
brate Your glory, to spread abroad the knowledge 
of Your goodness, or to cause You to be loved ! 
In Your mercy You graciously crowned the death 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



165 



of the Holy Innocents; deign to receive the offer- 
ing which I now make You of my life, and ren- 
der it so pure, that it may be a sweet- smelling 
sacrifice in Your sight, and an image and memo- 
rial to men of the virtues of Your holy childhood. 
Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

In the city of Sebaste, in Armenia, forty soldiers 
were arrested under the persecution of Licinius, 
and brought before the governor to be interrogated 
upon their refusing to obey the orders of the 
emperor. The governor devised an extraordinary 
kind of death, which he hoped would shake their 
constancy. It was winter, and the north wind 
blew violently. He ordered the martyrs to be ex- 
posed naked for one night in a frozen pond, which 
stood in the middle of the city; and to tempt them 
more strongly by the facility of a remedy, he had 
a warm bath prepared in an adjoining hall. The 
martyrs cheerfully undressed, mutually encourag- 
ing each other, and repeating this prayer, "Lord 
Jesus, we are forty, who are engaged in this com- 
bat : grant that we may be forty crowned, and that 
not one be wanting to this sacred number." Only 
one had the misfortune to be overcome, and went 
off from the pond to seek relief in the warm bath. 



1(56 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



But no sooner had he entered it, than he expired. 
A sentinel was warming himself near the bath, 
and witnessed this amazing spectacle : he saw I 
angels distributing crowns to those generous mar- 
tyrs, one only excepted, who was their faint-heart- 
ed companion already mentioned. The guard 
being struck at this vision, threw off his clothes, 
and placed himself in his stead amongst the thirty- 
nine martyrs, and thus consoled them for his deser- 
tion. 



MEDITATION. 

FOE THE XVI. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus in Egypt, 

In the meditation before the last, dear child, 
you heard of the order given to the venerable 
chief of the Holy Family, to fly with them into 
Egypt ; and your love for the Infant Jesus caused 
you to feel sensibly, all the hardship of that new 
and unexpected trial. To-day we will meditate 
upon its execution, which you will not find less 
instructive than the order itself. Joseph, contin- 
ues the Evangelist, arose that same night, took 
the child and his mother, and retired into Egypt. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



167 



If you are curious to know why Egypt was selected 
by Heaven as the place of refuge for the Infant 
God, it will be easy to discover the reason; you 
have only to recall to mind that important truth 
of faith, which gives, as it were, the key to all 
the striking events of Sacred History, namely, that 
all that happened to the people of God, was but a 
figure of what was one day to take place in the 
Church, and that Jesus Christ was announced and 
represented in the memorable events, and by all 
the principal personages of the old law. 

Thus Egypt was to be for a time a land of refuge 
for the children of Israel : it was also to be a place 
of security for Jesus Christ. Thus Moses, to con- 
strain that infidel land to recognize the true God, 
had afflicted it by various plagues and covered it 
with darkness ; Jesus Christ came to cure its 
wounds and restore light to its borders ; Moses 
appeared as Pharaoh's God, and the enchantments 
of the devil's ministers could not prevail over his 
power ; at the entrance of Jesus Christ into Egypt 
the idols were overthrown and fell to pieces. Fi- 
nally, Moses, speaking in the name of the Most 
High, and performing the most astonishing mira- 
cles, had prepared Egypt to recognize and adore 
Him at some future period ; Jesus Christ, by His 
presence alone, enlightened it, sanctified it, and pre- 



168 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



pared it to give birth to those generations of 
Saints, whose supereminent virtues were and still 
are the admiration of all succeeding ages. 

After those striking and true comparisons, so 
well calculated to give you an idea of God's man- 
ner of bringing about His will in various events, 
think, dear child, upon the multiplied trials which 
that abode, or rather that long exile, must have im- 
posed upon the Infant Jesus. If when he came unto 
his own, his own received him not, what reception 
would He be likely to meet with in a strange land 
and among barbarous people? Oh ! my child, He 
found that which He went thither to seek, namely, 
obscurity, contempt, and forgetfulness of men. But 
it was there He gave us all those touching exam- 
ples of resignation, patience, and unbounded con- 
fidence in, and resignation to, God's holy will. 
Never forget that, different from all other children, 
He possessed the full knowledge and sense of all 
that he endured, and that in a degree to which the 
most exquisite susceptibility can never approach. 
Thus, he felt deeply all the humiliation of his 
banishment and flight — all that there was of bit- 
terness in removing far from the place of His birth, 
and separating from His friends and neighbors. 
Also all the privations to which their narrow cir- 
cumstances, and even indigence, exposed the Holy 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



169 



Family, lie felt most sensibly, more on account 
of Mary and Joseph, than on his own. Picture to 
yourself the excess of his sorrow, in seeing those 
amongst whom He lived worshipping idols, and 
offering to them their abominable sacrifices. But 
amid so many subjects of affliction, does He com- 
plain of, or lament the duration of His trials ? or 
hasten their termination by impatient wishes or by 
deep sadness of mind % No, dear child, He awaits 
in peaceful submission to His Father's orders, the 
hour marked out in His eternal decrees, He offers 
Himself in expiation for all the sins of which He 
is a witness ; He implores light for all those blinded 
souls who do not even desire it ; He fertilizes that 
idolatrous land, by watering it with his tears, and 
in Egypt as at Bethlehem, at Nazareth, and on 
Calvary, God is ever within Him reconciling the 
world unto Himself. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon His sojourn 
in Egypt. 

The Child. — My Divine Saviour ! I did not 
suspect all the privations and suffering of all kinds 
which assailed You during Your exile. 

The Infant Jesus. — Thus the greater number 
of Christians do not understand the mysteries of 
my life, and for that reason do not know how to 
15 



170 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



appreciate all that I have suffered for their salva- 
tion. 

The Child. — Ah ! my Divine Master, send 
down Your grace upon me, and enlighten me, for 
what I have just read astonishes and affects me ; I 
am still far from penetrating into the spirit of 
Your mysteries. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, you should as- 
pire less to the heights of contemplation, than to 
endeavoring to imitate my example. . 

The Child. — But, dear Lord, how can I imitate 
You during Your abode in Egypt ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Look upon this earth, 
dear child, as a land of exile, and do not set your 
heart upon it. That spirit of detachment which 
appears so difficult to you is, however, the first 
among all virtues, and the most indispensable one 
for your age. 

The Child. — Dear Lord ! permit me to say to 
You, that my situation is very different from that 
one which fell to Your share whilst in Egypt. You 
were far from Your own country, and I am at 
home. You were living among strangers, whilst 1 
am surrounded by my own relations. 

The Infant Jesus. — Oh, child of Adam! you 
do not understand that, banished as you are from 
heaven, whatever place you may inhabit, you are 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 171 

always in a land of exile, and in danger of never 
seeing again your true country, or the saints and 
angels, your co-heirs, your brethren, and immortal 
fellow-citizens. 

The Child. — 0 Divine Jesus ! it is very diffi- 
cult not to become attached to any thing. 

The Infant Jesus. — It will be much harder to 
detach yourself from all things ; still that must be 
done, however strong the ties which bind your 
heart to perishable objects. I do not ask impossi- 
bilities from man ; but whilst permitting him to 
enjoy his lawful attachments, I wish him to keep 
his heart free from all that might stifle his desires 
after, and stop him in his flight toward heaven. 

PRACTICE. 

Renew often in your soul the holy desire of 
heaven. 

PRAYER. 

You created me purely through love, O Infinite 
Goodness ! and the happiness which You have des- 
tined for me is naught else than the vision of Your 
own beatitude. It was to restore to me that bless- 
ing, of which sin had deprived me, that You came 
down from heaven, 0 my Divine Redeemer ! and 
suffered the most cruel and ignominious of deaths. 
Do not suffer Your mercy to become useless to me, 



172 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



but enkindle in my heart an ardent desire to be 
inseparably united to You, both in time and 
throughout eternity. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

Pelbart relates, that a certain soldier was full of 
vices ; but had a devout wife, who, not being able 
to reform him, recommended him at least not to 
omit saying, every day, a Hail Mary before some 
image of Our Lady. One day, as he was about to 
commit sin, he passed by a church, which by 
chance he entered ; and seeing an image of our 
Blessed Lady, he knelt down, and said a Hail 
Mary ; and what did he then see ? he saw the 
Infant Jesus in the arms of Mary, all covered with 
bleeding wounds. Upon which he said, " 0 God, 
what barbarian has thus ill-treated this innocent 
Babe ?" " It is you, sinner," answered Mary ; " it 
is you who thus ill-use my, son." Then, full of 
contrition, he begged her to obtain his pardon, 
calling her Mother of Mercy. She replied, a You 
sinners call me Mother of Mercy, but you do not 
cease to make me a Mother of Sorrows and of 
Misery." But the penitent did not lose courage, 
and continued to pray to Mary to intercede for 
him. The Blessed Virgin turned to her Son and 
asked Him to pardon this sinner. He seemed re- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



173 



luctant to do so ; but then Mary said to Him, "0 
my Son, I will not leave Thy feet if Thou dost not 
forgive this afflicted man who has recommended 
himself to me." Then Jesus said to her : " 0 my 
Mother, I never have refused you any thing ; do 
you desire the pardon of this sinner ? let him be 
pardoned ; and in token of the pardon which I 
grant him, I desire that he should come and kiss 
my wounds." The sinner then went up to the 
image, drew near, and whilst he was kissing them, 
the wounds were closed. Immediately, on leaving 
the church, he asked pardon of his wife, and with 
mutual consent they both left the world, and be- 
came religiouses in two monasteries, where they 
ended their lives by a holy death. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XVII. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus leaves Egypt. 

We must all acknowledge, dear child, that our 
impatience in all the disagreeable occurrences 
which fall to our lot is very unreasonable \ especi- 
ally since they are all conformable to the designs 
of God's providence in our behalf. All finite 
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174 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



things last so short a time ! The evil will of men, 
to whom besides, G-od only allows the power to 
act according to the views of His wisdom, and for 
the accomplishment of His adorable intentions, 
ceases at its allotted term, and that term is always 
so near at hand. Herod laid all his plans very 
skilfully ; but fell himself into his own snares : he 
exhausted all the resources of his bitter cruelty, 
but still had no better success. If we may credit 
a pagan author, amongst those children of two 
years old and under, whom his bloody ambition 
caused to be slain, was one of his own sons ; and 
He whom he pursued was apparently the only 
one who was saved. He himself did not long sur- 
vive those victims whom he had murdered to 
secure his crown and life, but soon went to give 
an account before the Supreme Judge, who is 
called in Scripture, The Father of the fatherless^ 
of the innocent blood he had caused to be shed. 

"Immediately after Herod was dead, behold an 
angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in 
Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the Child and his 
Mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they 
are dead that sought the life of the Child." Weigh 
well, dear child, all the circumstances connected 
with that celestial warning. It is always the will 
of the Father that determines the conduct of the 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



175 



Son, for the return as for the setting out. It is 
again an angel who bears the order, which is ex- 
pressed in about the same terms ; it is also to the 
chief of the Holy Family that he addresses him- 
self, who executes his commands with the same 
docility and promptness. What lessons you have, 
perhaps, already learned from these comparisons, 
dear child ! You can easily apply them to your 
own conduct, and draw therefrom these conclu- 
sions, that it is God's will which rules and disposes 
of all events ; that when you are careful to con- 
sult it, it does not fail to manifest itself by mira- 
cles if needs be, in the midst of Egypt as in the 
land of Israel ; that submission to all it requires 
under painful circumstances, will draw down its 
light upon other occasions ; that simplicity and 
prompt obedience insure us profound peace in 
difficult trials, as well as in the most consoling and 
happy events ; and finally, that man's whole hap- 
piness upon earth consists in knowing and doing 
the will of God. 

Jesus therefore leaves Egypt, as He entered it, 
by the order of His Father, and in the same spirit 
which had led Him thither. Remain there until 
I shall tell thee : such had been the command. 
With what punctuality it had been observed. 
Remark again, dear child, that as the flight and 



176 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



sojourn in Egypt had been prefigured by Jacob 
and bis family, the departure of the Saviour from 
that strange land had been represented by that of 
the Israelites under the guidance of Moses, and, 
moreover, formally predicted by these words of 
the Prophet Osee : / called my Son out of Egypt. 
Had there been no prophecies relative to the hu- 
miliations of our Divine Saviour, they should not 
have been a subject of scandal for us ; but when 
they had been announced so many centuries pre- 
viously, in so many ways, how can they fail to 
strengthen our faith and hope ? 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon His depart- 
ure from Egypt. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour ! what consola- 
tion for me to see You leave Egypt, having over- 
thrown all her false gods, and escaped all dangers! 

The Infant Jesus. — Above all, dear child, re- 
joice in that my departure from Egypt is the pledge 
of your deliverance, if. like the children of Israel, 
the land of your captivity has not caused you to 
forget the land of promise. 

The Child. — Why, dear Lord, should I imitate 
those careless people who, overwhelmed by hard 
labor, had lost the sense of their own dignity? 

The Infant Jesus. — And yet, my poor child, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 177 

do the greater part of men behave differently ? 
This earth has taught them to forget heaven, and, 
under the weight of so many miseries, they do not 
even desire to reach that abode of repose and 
peace. 

The Child. — 0 my God ! I cannot understand 
such strange blindness. 

The Infant Jesus. — Yet you, dear child, are 
equally blind. You have formed a false idea of 
the world and its pleasures, and little as you may 
enjoy their deceitful sweetness, you will soon for- 
get both your soul and heaven. 

The Child. — Dear Saviour! have mercy on 
me ; guide my steps, and whilst I am waiting for 
You to take me forth out of this land of Egypt, 
implant and maintain in my heart the desire and 
hope of the land of all true blessings. 

PRACTICE. 

Often reflect, with gratitude, upon the grace of 
your baptism. 

PRAYER. 

O my Saviour! since You commanded the chil- 
dren of Israel always to remember that they had 
been drawn forth out of the land of Egypt, and 
from the house of bondage, w T hat will You require 
from the children of faith whom You have deliv- 



178 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



ered from hell, and the slavery of the devil ? It 
is just, dear Lord, that I render You everlasting 
thanksgivings for so great a benefit ; and that it 
be ever-present to my memory! Do not suffer 
the remembrance of it to remain barren in my soul, 
but grant that, influencing all my conduct, it may 
render me worthy of the glorious Head to whom 
I belong, and of the happiness which He has ac- 
quired for me at the price of His Blood. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

St. Louis, king of France, preferred going to 
Poissy than to any other part of his kingdom, be- 
cause it was there he had been baptized ; and he 
was accustomed to say, that he received there 
more dignity and honor than in any other part of 
the world ; for this reason he always signed him- 
self Louis of Poissy. Following his example, all 
the kings of France have shown the greatest esteem 
for the name of Christian, in placing as their first 
and principal title of honor, that of " Most Chris- 
tian," given to Charlemagne ; as that of Catholic, 
to the kings of Spain. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



170 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XVIII. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus returns to Judea. 

You have seen, dear child, with what prompt 
obedience St. Joseph, taking with him the Child 
and His Mother, as directed, set out for Judea. 
" But when he came into the land of Israel, hear- 
ing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room 
of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither ; 
and being warned in sleep, retired into the quarters 
of Galilee. And coming he dwelt in a city called 
Nazareth : that it might be fulfilled which was 
said by the prophet : That He shall be called a 
Nazarite." Here you will recognize, dear child, 
the same guiding hand of Providence, sending 
with each trial the necessary light and grace to 
overcome it. Then, observe, how naturally all the 
prophecies relative to the Messiah are accomplish- 
ed. It had been predicted that He should be 
called the Nazarene, that is to say, holy or conse- 
crated to the Lord. The histories of Samuel and 
Samson have taught you how children, under the 
old law, were consecrated to God, sometimes even 
while yet unborn. It was not after the same man- 
ner, nor by external ceremonies, that the Infant 



180 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Jesus was raised to God as a Nazarite, although 
we canuot doubt that the Blessed Virgin offered 
Him to the celestial Father from the first moment 
of His conception within her chaste womb, and a 
thousand times afterward. It was He, as His 
apostle reveals to us, who from His first entrance 
into the world, presented Himself to His Father, 
to replace all oblations and sacrifice. " That word 
Nazarene, therefore, contained a great mystery, 
since it expressed the Holiness of the Saviour." 
He was generally styled Jesus Nazarenus, as ap- 
pears from the inscription on the cross. St. Peter, 
in his sermon to Cornelius the centurion, calls 
Him Jesus of Nazareth, to show us that it was in 
harmony with the designs of God, that the name 
of Nazarene, which had been given to many who 
were types of Jesus Christ, should be applied to 
Him in token of holiness ; and it was one of those 
prophecies which God made known by His Holy 
Ghost to the evangelists, in order to distinguish 
Jesus Christ as the Holy of Holies. 

That name of Nazarene was justly required, 
since, by nature, separated from sinners, He was 
to be the model as He was the source of all holi- 
ness, since it was in that humble house at Naza- 
reth, that, unknown to men but the object of con- 
tinual admiration to the Angels, He was about to 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



181 



open that career of virtue, in which His dearest 
disciples strive to follow Him, to lead that life of 
humility, labor and poverty, under which for the 
space of thirty years He was to hide His wisdom, 
power and majesty. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon His Name 
of Nazarene. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour ! it must have 
been a great blessing for the children under the 
old Law to have been consecrated to God from 
their birth, since that consecration was followed 
by such happy results. 

The Infant Jesus. — However, my child, it was 
only a figure of that of the children of the church 
by their baptism. 

The Child. — But, my Saviour, we do not see 
You reproduce in baptized children prodigies sim- 
ilar to those which astonish us in Samson and 
Samuel. 

The Infant Jesus. — In the first place, dear 
child, all the Nazarites were not favored with such 
extraordinary gifts as these two judges in Israel ; 
and then, too, the graces given to Christians in the 
sacrament of regeneration, far surpass even the 
most precious benedictions of the ancient alli- 
ance. 

16 



182 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



The Child. — But, Divine Master, how does it 
produce so great fruit in such young children ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Child of God ! look over 
your past life, and go back to the first moments in 
which your soul was capable of knowledge, and 
you will find the answer to your question ; what 
means have I ever neglected to induce you to love 
me ? Good thoughts, holy desires, pure joys, 
tender reproaches, have I not tried them all to 
gain your heart ? Why, then, has it become un- 
faithful ? You know it has ; but I am willing to 
forget it, if you labor sincerely to return to me. 

PRACTICE. 

Often recall to mind your baptismal engagements. 

PRAYER. 

0 my Saviour ! I have criminally neglected 
my baptismal engagements, and the holiness and 
spirit of detachment from the ideas, tastes and 
worldly pleasures which they imposed upon me ! 
Perhaps I have often thought that I was not 
obliged to become a Saint ; and have frequently 
said, either secretly or aloud, when some virtuous 
practice was proposed to me, that such was good 
for Saints only. Pardon me, my God ! pardon an 
error so dangerous to my salvation, so injurious 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



183 



to your Majesty. I realize, and I rejoice at the 
thought that I belong to You alone and should, 
and henceforth will, live only for You. Lord, since 
I am Yours, save me. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

Father Patrignani relates, that, after having com- 
mitted a great many sins, a certain nun arrived at 
such an excess of crime, that, having one day com- 
municated, she drew from her mouth the sacred 
particle, placed it in a handkerchief, and afterward 
having shut herself up in a cell, she threw the 
Blessed Sacrament on the ground, and began to 
trample it under her feet. But, lo ! she casts her 
eyes down, and what does she see ? She sees the 
Sacred Host, changed into the form of a beautiful 
Infant, but all bruised and covered with blood, 
who said to her : " And what have I done to thee, 
that thou treatest me so ill V Upon which the 
wretched creature, full of contrition and repent- 
ance, threw herself on her knees, bathed in tears, 
and said to Him, 0 my God, dost Thou ask me 
what Thou hast done to me ? Thou hast loved me 
too much ! The vision disappeared, and the nun 
changed her whole life and became a model of 
penance. 



184 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XIX. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus grows and strengthens. 

If, as I hope, dear child, you begin to love Jesus 
Christ, it must be a sweet employment for you to 
follow Him, so to speak, step by step through all 
His mysteries, to question Him upon all His ac- 
tions and movements, and to draw from them 
such profound instructions. "What consolation a 
mother enjoys in watching the first look or smile 
of her child ; what joy she experiences in seeing 
him take his first step, utter a badly articulated 
word, or give the least sign of the progress and 
development of his strength. And why should 
not our hearts feel something of that delightful 
satisfaction, since the Divine Word lowered Him- 
self so far as to pass through all the steps of the 
earliest years, only in order to invite men to ap- 
proach Him, and to conceive, whilst contemplat- 
ing Him, those tender and affectionate sentiments, 
which the sight of a little child always inspires. 
And if you never lose sight of the fact that God, 
hidden under the guise of an Infant, is really your 
brother, can you, I do not say tire of, but ever 
satiate yourself with studying and seeking after 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



185 



the simplest details of His adorable childhood ? 
Can your heart ever defend itself against a pious 
sensibility at those simple but touching words of 
the Sacred Historian: " And the child grew, and 
advanced in wisdom and age, and grace with God 
and man." 

Those who have only a superficial knowledge of 
the fact, and those who have not clearly pene- 
trated its principle, fall into two directly opposite, 
but equally grave errors, with regard to the first 
years of the Infant God. The former, not com- 
prehending that in consequence of the union of 
the divine and human nature in the person of 
Jesus Christ, the gift of knowledge was as entire 
and perfect in His soul, from the first moment of 
His Incarnation, as it was upon Thabor, and as it 
ever will be in Heaven, are astonished at the very 
wisdom we admire in His first mysteries ; the lat- 
ter, not clearly understanding that wisdom and 
light which were in Him from the beginning, wish 
every thing in him to be miraculous, and expect 
Him, while yet a child, to act exteriorly, and speak 
as a full-grown man. But, as one of the fathers 
judiciously remarks, if God did all by miracle, He 
would efface all that He has done by mercy. Thus 
it was necessary that, like all other children, Jesus 
should feel the progress of years, and that the wis- 
16* 



186 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



dom with which he was filled should show itself 
by degrees. 

Comprehend well, then, dear child, that when 
the Evangelist remarks that the child grew and 
increased in wisdom, and adds that the grace of 
God was with Him, he wishes us to understand 
that, in proportion as the child grew and began 
to act for Himself, wisdom and grace manifested 
themselves in a more sensible manner. Hence 
that adorable Saviour successively displayed to the 
eyes of men all that so perfect an infancy could 
offer that was admirable ; and that He suffered 
some signs of that eternal wisdom with which He 
was tilled to shine forth by degrees. In ordinary 
children it is by means of the care and teaching 
of their parents and masters that their minds and 
bodies grow, strengthen, and become fully devel- 
oped; in the Infant Jesus, the gift of wisdom 
which He had received, even whilst in His mother's 
womb, manifested itself progressively, and His 
body, that masterpiece of the Holy Ghost, gradu- 
ally attained all its perfection. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the develop- 
ment and progress of His early years. 

The Child. — My Divine Saviour! at all times, and 
under every circumstance, You seek to be our model. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



187 



The Infant Jesus. — My design in taking hu- 
man nature upon me was to serve man as much by 
my examples as by my merits. 

The Child. — Divine Jesus ! in considering Your 
glorious examples, I feel quite discouraged to find 
within myself such a complete spirit of opposition 
to them. You, who were already perfection itself, 
manifested it only by degrees, whilst I, who am 
full of misery and weakness, find these bad quali- 
ties daily increasing. 

The Infant Jesus. — Yes, my child, weakness 
is the inheritance of human nature, but strength 
is the fruit of my grace, and its triumph is made 
perfect in weakness. 

The Child. — Dear Master ! I occasionally feel 
some ray of that grace divine ; but, alas ! that 
happy impression is quickly effaced. 

The Infant Jesus. — I have no doubt, dear child, 
that you distrust yourself ; but I wish you, above 
all, to have confidence in the power of my grace. 

The Child. — When you cast a kind look upon 
me, dear Lord, I am filled with zeal — nothing hin- 
ders me in Your service ; but next moment finds 
me entirely indifferent, and the least obstacle is 
sufficient to keep me back. 

The Infant Jesus. — My dear child, all my 
saints and followers have passed through the same 



188 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



trials, but they never lost courage ; and when 
they happened to falter, or even to fall astray, 
they rose quickly, and set forward with renewed 
vigor. By such means they reached the reward 
of their labors. 

The Child. — Dear Lord ! dare I avow it ? 
Sometimes, even in the very day in which I am 
faithful to Your service, sorrow and weariness over- 
power me ; and something seems to tell me that 
I can never find the same happiness in serving You 
which I might enjoy in worldly amusements. 

The Infant Jesus. — That, dear child, is a temp- 
tation easily recognized. The feeling that ren- 
dered you happy in Your fidelity was not a decep- 
tion. It is the disposition of Your heart, not my 
grace which has changed. The tree which is one 
day to produce abundant fruit is exposed by turns 
to the burning sun or to sudden frosts, to drought 
or to rain, and often to the most violent storms. 
So it is with virtue : she grows and strengthens in 
the midst of trials of every kind. 

PRACTICE. 

Endeavor daily to increase in virtue. 

PRAYER. 

What am I doing upon earth, 0 my God ! if, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



189 



while advancing in age, I do not increase in 
wisdom ? Why does Your goodness prolong my 
life, if not in order to give me time to do pen- 
ance, and so merit heaven ? How have I em- 
ployed the years which have elapsed since I at- 
tained the use of reason? Have mercy on me, 
dear Saviour, and deliver me from the weakness 
and darkness of infancy, that I may finally com- 
mence to know and love You. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related of St. Felix of Yalois, of that royal 
house of France, that while a child, he gave proofs 
of great piety and charity ; he used to select the 
choicest dishes which were placed on the table, 
and send them to the poor ; and the Church in 
her office does not disdain to add, that he was ac- 
customed to recreate poor little boys with nice 
food. This was he of whom we read, that when 
grown up to youth, he more than once gave the 
clothes off his person to cover the naked ; and 
who afterward, in order to avoid succeeding to 
the crown of France, to which he had a title, be- 
came a priest. 



190 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XX. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus follows his parents to Jerusalem. 

You have surely noticed, dear children, that 
Jesus Christ, on coming into the world, did not 
seek a wealthy house to be born in, nor choose for 
His parents, persons celebrated, either for their 
knowledge or possessions, but recommendable for 
their piety. He wished to teach us not to be 
proud of the high position of our family, nor to 
lament over its obscurity, but to congratulate our- 
selves at finding therein good examples and edifica- 
tion, and to have learned from its members the 
holy habits of serving G-od and living in His 
fear and love. Joseph and Mary, never failed 
to comply with the legal custom of going up 
yearly to the Temple at Jerusalem, to celebrate 
the passover. The Evangelist tells us that 
when Jesus ivas twelve years old they went up to 
Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, 
and took him with them. It was probably not 
the first time that He had accompanied them 
thither ; but it was the epoch at which He was to 
manifest Himself, to enter upon His Evangelical 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 191 

career, and as He said Himself, to be about His 
Father's service, that is, to spread the knowledge 
of Him among men, and to fill all hearts with His 
love. Dear child, you have reached the same age 
with the Infant Jesus, or at least are very near it. 
You must therefore begin faithfully to imitate 
Him, and study attentively the dispositions with 
which He went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the 
Pasch, in order to be filled with His spirit when 
you are engaged in the Holy solemnities of the 
Church. I might tell you that that solemn step 
of the Divine Child presents a touching analogy 
with your own situation, and a most admirable 
model. Since the Jewish Pasch was a figure of the 
Christian Easter, the participation of the Child 
J esus in that legal Pasch, now first noticed by the 
Evangelist, prefigures the first participation of the 
children of the Church in the Holy Eucharist. 
Does it not recall to your mind, your first com- 
munion, the greatest and happiest act of your 
early life ? But this digression takes you from 
the subject of the present meditation : however it 
presented too touching a reflection for your piety 
to be suffered to pass unnoticed. 

I am obliged frequently to remind you, dear 
child, that the Infant Jesus was different from 
other children ; in whom knowledge and judg 



192 THE LITTLE MONTH 

ment form and develop only in proportion to 
their age, in order that you may never lose sight 
of the fact, that age and wisdom being in Him ! 
from His Incarnation, all His proceedings and 
actions, whether He speaks, keeps silence, acts of 
His own accord, or obeys His parents' will, are 
ever-fruitful sources of instruction for us ; reveal- 
ing to us the most sublime virtues, and urging us 
to imitate them. Thus, doubtless, from the first 
moment of His entrance into the world, He was 
holily impatient to be about His Father's business, 
but, in order to do it, as it were more naturally, 
He waited until He had reached the age of twelve 
years, at which time all children begin to be capa- 
ble of solid reasoning and deep reflection. He 
went then to the Temple, and consecrated that 
proceeding by those exterior and ulterior dispo- 
sitions with which you must yourself endeavor 
to be penetrated, when you enter a Church to per- 
form your religious duties. 

Those of your age often go thither because they 
are led by others ; which is an obedience which 
merits almost nothing, since it is not given volun- 
tarily and from motives of faith and love : they go 
there from custom, and without reflection; and 
though they fully believe Jesus Christ to be present 
in the tabernacle, and they kneel down and recite 



193 OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 

some form of prayer, as if to adore Him, they give 
way to such dissipation, and have so absent an air, 
that, far from profiting by the recollection of their 
neighbors, they frequently disturb them ; they go 
"without preparation up to the very foot of the altar 
of the God of holiness, power, and love ; they have 
apparently no truly Christian sentiment ; they know 
not how to weep over their sins, to expose their 
hearts, nor to express their gratitude. Hereafter, 
dear child, when you enter the holy place, think 
upon the heavenly dispositions of the Infant Jesus 
going up toward the temple between Mary and 
Joseph, and understand that you can never be 
recollected if you carry dissipation with you ; 
when you are there, picture to yourself the Holy 
Child, as it were, at your side in the attitude of 
supplication and adoration ; that will not be mere 
fancy, since He is really in the tabernacle, the 
worthy object of your worship ; but if you pray 
by Him, because He is your mediator, pray like 
Him, because He is your model : never leave His 
presence without having given Him some gift, 
offered him some sacrifice. I need not tell you, 
dear child, that both gift and sacrifice are contained 
within your heart — pride, vanity, and idleness con- 
stitute the latter, and piety, gentleness, and humil- 
ity the former. 
17 



194 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the Spirit 
which guided Him while in the Temple at Jeru- 
salem. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour ! it is then decreed 
that I am to find my condemnation in Your whole 
conduct. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, it is a sure sign 
that you are entering on the way of truth, when 
you begin to be displeasing to yourself. 

The Child. — How could it be otherwise, Most 
Adorable Saviour ! when I see myself so com- 
pletely different from You who are my model? I 
have never before reflected upon my behavior in 
Your holy house. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, the weaknesses 
which escape from the frailty of youth are soon 
forgotten by me when they are sincerely repented 
of. 

The Child. — 0 my Good Master, but can I 
ever forget my irreverence in the holy places dur- 
ing my early childhood? Can I ever keep suffi- 
ciently, even those of later years ? 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, you can prevent 
their recurrence by seeking to remove the cause 
thereof, and by avoiding all dangerous occasions. 

The Child. — But, my charitable Redeemer! 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY - . 



105 



those causes are indestructible, since they originate 
in my miserable nature, and in my weak and friv- 
olous character, and the accomplishment of my 
duties themselves, expose me to those very occa- 
sions. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child, man has no fault 
which he cannot correct by his own efforts aided 
by my grace ; but he must labor to do so with a 
sincere and persevering heart. Begin by avoiding 
dissipation, and when you set out to go to church, 
occupy yourself with some pious thought, and en- 
deavor not to cast your eyes upon the different 
objects you meet with on your way thither. 

The Child. — But, dearest Lord ! even with all 
those precautions, I dare not hope to attain to a 
spirit of recollection. 

The Infant Jesus. — Thus disposed, say to your- 
self on entering the church: Behold the sanctuary 
of my Sovereign Creator, of the Judge of the living 
and the dead ! How terrible is this place ! shall I 
dare to encounter its formidable majesty ? Whilst 
respectfully taking that holy water which is to 
purify you, beg God to blot out the shameful spots 
upon your soul : kneel down with the feeling of a 
criminal who seeks pardon for his crimes, and then, 
raising your eyes toward the tabernacle, reflect 
that the God of love resides therein. When you 



196 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



once become fully accustomed to those practices, 
faith and piety will banish all thoughts of dissipa- 
tion from your heart. 

I 

PRACTICE. 

Observe recollection when going to church. 

PRAYER. 

How sad it would be for me, 0 my God ! if I 
were to make an occasion of sin out of a means 
of salvation, and if I found my condemnation in 
the very asylum of grace and mercy. Do not per- 
mit it, dearest Jesus ! prostrate my soul with holy 
fear on approaching Your sanctuary, and temper it 
with filial confidence, in order that, recognizing my 
God and Saviour within the tabernacle, I may 
enter His abode with piety and leave it with His 
blessing. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

The Greek church has always been in the habit 
of consecrating in such kind of bread as we daily 
eat ; and if, after having communicated the people, 
any particles remained in the ciboriums, they were 
given to children chosen from among the most 
virtuous. It happened one day, at Constantinople, 
that the child of a Jew, a glass-maker, presented 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 197 

himself among the rest. This having kept him 
for some time in the church, he returned home 
later than usual, and his father asking him the 
reason of his delay, he said he had been in the 
church of the Christians, and there had eaten some 
of the bread they gave to children. These words 
irritated the Jew so much, that, taking his child, 
he immediately cast him into the glass furnace, 
which was lighted, and shut the door of it. His 
mother not seeing her son at home, sought every- 
where about for him : and after a great deal of 
pains to no purpose, she returned home in deep 
desolation and affliction. At the end of three 
days, not being able to comfort herself for the loss 
of her child, and being near the door of the glass 
furnace, she called her son by his name, and imme- 
diately he answered her out of the furnace where 
he was. She ran to open the door, full of hope 
and fear, and beheld her son coming from the 
midst of the flames without being the least touched 
by them. She asked him what had preserved him 
from the fire ? He answered that a lady clothed 
in purple had often visited him, extinguishing the 
fire with water she threw upon it, and bringing 
him something to eat whenever he wanted it. The 
mother, moved at this miracle, demanded baptism 
for herself and her son ; but the father remaining 
17* 



198 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



obstinate was hanged, by order of the Emperor 
Justinian, as a murderer. 

Although this event appears extraordinary, it 
is attested by too many historians to be doubted. 
St. Gregory of Tours, Mcephorus and Baronnius 
mention it. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXI. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus remains in Jerusalem. 

You have perhaps, dear child, sometimes found 
the church office too long, and through love of 
play or some other frivolous reason common to 
your age, longed to leave the Holy Sanctuary. 
The child Jesus, whose blessed soul was, however, 
never separated from His Father, presents to your 
consideration in that respect, in one of the most 
wonderful mysteries of His Infancy, a most admir- 
able lesson. His fervor was not satisfied with the 
days, during which' He could pray in the Temple 
by the side of His parents. He wished to pay 
God a special tribute of homage and adoration: 
it is to that love for the house of prayer, of which 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



199 



His adorable life will furnish you later such striking 
examples, that I now call your attention, and not 
to the mysterious action of the Infant God, an act 
which nothing could justify in you; not even the 
most praiseworthy intention, nor the most lively 
devotion and piety. You will, however, soon per- 
ceive that that step by which He began the great 
work for which He came into the world, could not 
be an object for your imitation. 

This remarkable occurrence of His earliest years, 
has naturally given rise to numerous questions, 
and although we should always be disposed to 
believe in ah simplicity the Gospel accounts, the 
church does not forbid us to examine nor even to 
adopt for our own consolation those explanations 
which have been given by interpreters and Doctors 
approved by herself. Firstly, how could Jesus 
escape from Mary and Joseph? How could He 
remain in Jerusalem unknown to His parents f 
Secondly, where did He dwell daring those three 
days of absence ? Finally, what was His occupa- 
tion ? Who provided for His wants ? In what 
did He employ Himself? Once more, dear child, 
do not examine into those difficulties merely 
through profane curiosity, but with true religious 
interest, and only seek knowledge in order to in- 
crease your gratitude and love. 



200 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



The Fathers of the Church, in presenting their 
opinions upon the various circumstances of that 
mystery, agree in recognizing something super- 
natural in it which it has not pleased the Holy 
Ghost to reveal to us. Upon the first question of 
how the Child Jesus could escape from the tender 
solicitude of Mary and Joseph, they give two dif- 
ferent explanations. They tell us that in the Tem- 
ple at Jerusalem, the custom was, to seat the men 
on one side and the women on the other : the same 
order was observed in going out, especially at the 
greater solemnities. They furthermore add, that 
the children went indiscriminately, either w T ith 
father or mother, or with any relative whom they 
met. If you join to their reasoning, that the charms 
of the child Jesus were so pleasing to men that all 
would seek His society, without recourse to super- 
natural means you can easily conceive, that neither 
Mary nor Joseph had any other thought, than that 
He was in some of the companies oY travellers 
and with some one of their family. So that, Jeru- 
salem being only one day's journey from Nazareth, 
they did not perceive their loss until the evening 
of the first day ; the second was passed in seek- 
ing for Him, and they did not find the Divine 
Child until the third. Others think that as dur- 
ing the course of His evangelical preaching Jesus 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



201 



Christ sometimes made Himself invisible to the 
eyes of his enemies, in order to escape their snares, 
so in order to try the faith of Mary and Joseph, 
He disappeared from them without their perceiv- 
ing it. But where did He pass those three days, 
and what was His occupation? The general opinion 
is, that He remained in the Temple engaged in 
prayer, adoration and other sublime acts of piety. 
But who provided for his wants ? That, the Holy 
Scripture does not tell us. But one of the sweetest 
of Saints addresses himself to the Child Jesus 
Himself, in qrder to satisfy his devotion. And in 
order that you, dear child, may comprehend that 
such questions should come from the heart rather 
than the mind, and have in view rather the en- 
lightenment of piety than the satisfaction of curi- 
osity, I cannot do better than to transcribe the very 
words of St. Bernard: "Lord," he says, 4 4 who 
furnished you with food ; and took care of you 
during those three days V And he thus answers 
himself : " Ah, doubtless in order to conform your- 
self in all things to our poverty, you mixed among 
the poor, like one of themselves, begging your 
bread from door to door. Grant me the grace, he 
adds, of partaking of that bread bestowed upon 
you by charity, of nourishing myself with the 
remnants of that delicious food." 



202 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



This meditation, dear child, has already ex- 
ceeded the bounds which we have prescribed to 
ourselves ; and yet I am sure the interest of the 
subject will cause you to regret its termination. I 
will not end it, however, without making you ob- 
serve that no word in the Gospel iferrative throws 
the slightest suspicion upon the vigilance of St. 
Joseph in that circumstance, and it would be im- 
pious to hazard a doubt upon that of the Blessed 
Virgin. Their adorable child wished to prove 
their love by so severe a trial, and to teach us that 
if He is so easily lost sight of by thos^ whose hearts 
are loving, watchful and pure, how much greater 
danger there is for those who have the misfortune 
to grow cold and indifferent to His presence. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the Sor* 
row which His Loss in the Temple caused his 
Parents. 

The Child. — My Divine Saviour ! it is too true 
that the time which I spend in Your holy abode 
seems sometimes very long to me. 

The Infant Jesus. — Remember often, dear 
child, that if duty leads you thither, love awaits 
you there, in order to overwhelm you with bene- 
fits. 

The Child. — 0 my God ! if I only approach 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 203 

Your sanctuary with coldness of heart, it is that I 
have constantly lost You, not innocently like Mary 
and Joseph, but by my own fault. 

The Infant Jesus. — To whatever cause you 
may attribute that loss, dear child, 1 reside in my 
tabernacle solely to give you the means to repair 
it. You also will find me in the Temple. 

The Child. — O Amiable Jesus ! The mere 
thought of losing You oppresses my heart. How- 
ever, I have frequently lost You and am still ex- 
posed to that danger. 

The Infant Jesus. — No, my child, you will 
not lose me if you sincerely desire to be faithful 
to me. I never escape from such hearts as are 
watchful to detain me ; or if, to try their con- 
stancy, I deprive them momentarily of the sweet- 
ness of my presence, I treat them as I have treated 
my greatest Saints, and am even then nearer to 
them than before. 

The Child.— O my God, my Supreme Good ! 
Since You have drawn me unto You, and wish me 
to belong to You, at any cost, have mercy upon 
me ; and if by my infidelity I again displease You, 
punish me according to Your justice, but do not 
drive me from Your presence and take not Your 
Holy Spirit from me. 



204 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRACTICE. 

Fear, above all tilings, the loss of grace. 

PRAYER. 

Let me never have the misfortune to lose You, 
0 Divine Saviour ! nothing could compensate for 
so great a loss ! Not all the wealth of this 
world could indemnify me for it, since in losing 
You I lose peace, hope, and joy, and instead of 
invoking You unceasingly as my benefactor and 
Father, I should henceforth see in You only a 
severe Judge and an implacable Avenger. Deprive 
me of every thing if my salvation requires it ; but 
leave me Jesus, through time and for eternity. 
Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

We read in the life of St. Antony, the solitary, 
written by St. Athanasius, Patriarch of Alex- 
andria, that he, having retired and hid himself 
in a sepulchre, that he might have no com- 
merce with the world, was assailed there by devils 
under the most hideous forms. They went so far 
as to treat him with cruelty, and beat him so vio- 
lently, that he lay almost dead. Antony, when 
he came to himself, implored the assistance of 
heaven ; and immediately he saw the top of the 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 205 

building in which he was, open, and a ray of 
heavenly light break in npon him. At the same 
time he was delivered from all his pains and, filled 
with confidence, he cried out : " Where wast Thou, 
my Lord and my Master ? Why wast Thou not 
here from the beginning of my conflict to assuage 
my pains ?" A voice answered : " Antony, I was 
here the whole time ; I stood by thee, and beheld 
thy combat, and because thou hast manfully with- 
stood thy enemies, I will always protect thee, and 
will render thy name famous throughout the earth." 
At these words, the Saint arose to pray again, and 
aclniowledged that God had made him much 
stronger than he was before. 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXII. OF JANUARY. 

The Child Jesus found in the Temple. 

Have you, dear child, formed any idea of the 
overwhelming sorrow of Mary and Joseph ? Have 
you pictured to yourself the great uneasiness they 
must have felt at the loss of the Infant Jesus? 
You may conjecture the many times that St. 
Joseph reproached himself with his carelessness 
18 



206 



THE LITTLE MOXTH 



with regard to that sacred charge. For as sinners 
are always ready to excuse themselves of the sins 
of which they are guilty, so the Saints and just 
persons easily accuse themselves of faults which 
they have never committed. Do you see him with 
breaking heart and tearful eyes walking through 
all the streets and public places, inquiring from 
house to house, and not finding; Him either among 
their kinsfolks or acquaintances, returning with 
Mary, on the road toward Jerusalem seeking Him ! 
What a sad journey, for those celestial spouses. 
What sighs, tears and prayers ! What an admirable 
interchange of pure affections and holy thoughts ! 
Jesus, by leaving them, wishes to show us how He 
can be lost. Mary and Joseph, by their conduct 
on the occasion, show us how He may be found. 

After three days of journeying, affliction and 
fatigue, they at last reach Jerusalem, and go up to 
the Temple. It is there only that the Divine Child 
was to be restored to their persevering love in 
seeking Him. Judge of their surprise, as well as 
admiration, when they perceived Him sitting in 
the midst of the Doctors, hearing them and asking 
them questions, and saw that all that heard Him 
were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. 
Lose nothing of this. Behold Him seated among 
the Doctors, as being a Doctor Himself, and born 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



207 



to teach, and yet we do not learn that He gave, 
as in later years, regular instructions. He listened 
to, and questioned those men who were looked upon 
as Masters in Israel ; He interrogated thern, if we 
may he allowed to say it, like a child who sought 
knowledge. 

Therefore it is said that he listened to and ques- 
tioned in His turn those Doctors who questioned 
Him, and admired His answers as those of a modest, 
gentle, and well instructed child, feeling meanwhile, 
as was but just, His apparent superiority to those 
of his age ; so much so that they permitted Him 
to sit among them. Admire, dear child, the wis- 
dom with which Jesus directs all events, how He 
surfers some little spark of His Divinity to show 
itself, yet without entirely losing the character- 
istics of childhood ; admire also the prudence, not 
only beyond His years, but beyond man's judg- 
ment, with which Jesus acts. He asks that upon 
which He is not ignorant, in order to teach us 
that we can never humble ourselves sufficiently, 
nor place our opinion below that of others ; and 
also that we are never to pride ourselves upon our 
science, learning nor talents. 

" Go then to the Temple, Christian children," 
concludes the great Bishop from whom I have 
borrowed almost all the foregoing account, " go 



208 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



consult the Doctors of the Law ; question them 
and answer them ; recognize in that mystery the 
commencement of the catechism of the Christian 
Schools. And you, Christian parents, when the 
Child Jesus did not disdain to question, to answer, 
and to listen, how can you prevent your children 
from attending catechism and parochial instruc- 
tion ?" 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon His Conduct 
whilst in the midst of the Doctors. 

The Child. — Dear Lord ! How I love to con- 
template You, thus beginning at the early age of 
twelve, that office of Doctor of the Law, which 
was afterward to be so profitable to your church ! 

The Enfant Jesus. — You should be still more 
astonished, dear child, at the silence with which I 
listened, and the respect with which I put my 
questions ! 

The Child. — That is what I do not understand, 
Dearest Saviour, since You had commenced Your 
evangelical career, and You also were seated in the 
midst of the Doctors like their master. 

The Infant Jesus. — Thus, 0 child of Adam ! 
do you judge of divine things by human ideas. 
Do you not see that I came above all, to present 
examples and lessons to the eyes of men. By my 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



209 



prudent answers, I reminded the Doctors of the 
Law that wisdom is the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
who, when He pleases, bestows it upon childhood ; 
and I taught children, by my silence, that modesty 
casts over the young a charm which wins all 
hearts. 

The Child. — But, O my Divine Master ! 
would not those men have been more impressed 
by Your teachings if You had revealed to them 
Your divine character. 

The Infant Jesus. — All my actions were ar- 
ranged for me by my Father, and I was only per- 
mitted to unveil progressively to men that light, 
the sudden brightness of which their weak eyes 
could never have sustained. 

The Child. — O my Saviour ! how little profit 
I derive from your teachings ! You know all 
things, and yet You sought instruction. I know 
nothing and still am not willing to study, and fre- 
quently deem myself more learned than those 
who have the care of my education. O Jesus ! 
do not expel me from Your school. Teach me to 
cherish the study of religion, to listen with do- 
cility to the priests of Your Church, and to treas- 
ure up carefully their holy lessons. 
18* 



210 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



PRACTICE. 

Listen respectfully to the teachings of the priests 
of God's Church. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Child, as admirable in the manifesta- 
tion of Your wisdom, as in the humility of Your 
silence, and who, being a child, were yet the Mas- 
ter of the Doctors, and being the only true teacher 
deigned to receive instruction like a child, teach 
me when to keep silence, and when to speak. But, 
above all, whilst your ministers sound the Divine 
truths in my ears, cause them to reach my heart, 
in order that they may direct me in all my ways. 
Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

We read in the lives of the Fathers of the des- 
ert, that a young girl named Paesia, having become 
very rich by the death of her parents, employed a 
great portion of her wealth in assisting the solita- 
ries of Egypt. But her charity did not continue 
long, for the criminal friendships which she con- 
tracted soon extinguished in her the love of piety, 
and plunged her into the greatest irregularities. 
The solitaries, sensibly afflicted for the loss of this 
soul, induced one of their number, named John, to 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



211 



go to her. When this holy man came near Paesia, 
he only said to her, " What has Jesus done to 
you, that you have abandoned Him V She was 
immediately struck, and looking at the saint, she 
saw him in tears. " Why do you weep ?" said she 
to him. "Alas !" answered he,. " must I not weep, 
seeing the power Satan has over you V " Do you 
think," continued she, " that there is any hope of 
salvation for me ?" "I am sure of it,'* he replied ; 
follow me." She immediately followed him, with- 
out leaving any orders concerning her house, so 
much was she occupied with her salvation. Night 
having arrived, John made a heap of sand like a 
pillow, and told Paesia to lie upon it. After some 
hours, he was surprised to see a ray of light de- 
scending upon Paesia. He approached her body 
and found she was dead. Whilst he glorified God, 
he heard a voice, which said to him, that the 
hour's penance of this sinner had been more agree- 
able to God than that of many others, which al- 
though much longer was not so excellent. 



212 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXIII. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus returns to Nazareth. 

We come now, dear child, to the most impene- 
trable of all the mysteries of the Incarnate Word. 
It seemed, at first, that the only Son of God, in 
becoming man, had descended to the lowest de- 
gree of humiliation by that prodigious abasement of 
His majesty. But, no, the obscurity of His life 
during the space of thirty years in that humble 
house at Nazareth, is as an abyss wherein the hu- 
man mind is confounded and lost. If the Eternal 
Word did lower Himself so far as to unite His Di- 
vine to our human nature, He abased Himself as a 
God, that is to say, He operated that union by a 
miracle of His power : He was conceived by the 
Holy Ghost, and born of a Virgin. If He humbled 
Himself so to weep in a manger, the angels cele- 
brated His birth in the skies ; a miraculous star 
was sent to announce it in the East, from whence 
kings hastened to do Him homage. But at Xaz- 
areth, an uninterrupted silence ; a cloud which the 
smallest ray of light cannot penetrate ; a state of 
continual poverty, weakness, and dependence, baf- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



213 



fles all calculations, and fills the soul with a mixture 
of fear and admiration. However, since it was for 
our instruction and salvation that Jesus Christ per- 
formed all His wonders, we should endeavor to 
collect the important lessons which He gave us 
during His hidden life in the house of Nazareth. 

It was the will of His Heavenly Father, that 
Jesus should give an example of the wisdom with 
which He was filled, and which He came to spread 
abroad, in the midst of the assembly of the doc- 
tors in the temple. After having, as it were, 
escaped from home, in order to do His Divine Fa- 
ther's work, He returned to His usual conduct to 
wards His parents, namely, obedience. The evan- 
gelist tells us that, He went down with them to 
Nazareth ; and it may, perhaps, have been said in 
a spiritual sense. For when He once entered, by 
His Incarnation, upon the road of humiliation, 
whatever step He might take He always descended 
in a more or less sensible manner. Thus in the 
present circumstance, after having momentarily 
pierced the mysterious cloud under which He had 
until then been hidden, He hastened to re-enter its 
veil, and offered no further subject of wonder, to 
the admiration of His parents, than that of His 
obedience ; and all that the evangelists can tell us 
of His wisdom, knowledge, holiness, and power, 



214 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



are reduced to these words : And He was subject 
to them. 

And do you know in what that hidden God was 
constantly obedient to His creatures ? Ah, dear 
child, do not picture to yourself noble objects, nor 
imagine extraordinary circumstances ; no, no; He 
obeyed in the meanest services, in the practice of a 
mechanical profession. He did not handle a skil- 
ful pencil. He preferred an humbler trade, and one 
more useful to others. He did not wield a learned 
pen, and write beautiful manuscripts. He labored 
to gain His bread by more painful means. Tradi- 
tion still preserves the accounts of ancient authors 
who speak of the ploughs which He made being 
still remembered during the first ages of the Church; 
and it was for that reason that when He began to 
preach in His own country, at the commencement 
of His evangelical ministry, men said : Is not this 
the carpenter, the son of Mary ? He says of Him- 
self that, He came to serve. And He began by 
serving His parents. Pass over in your mind, 
dear child, all the cares and employments requisite 
for a poor family, and doubt not that Jesus always 
sought those which were the most painful and hu- 
miliating. Could He have found a better hiding- 
place for His divinity, than in the exercise of the 
duties of so ordinary a life ? 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



215 



Colloquy with the Child Jesus upon His hidden 
life at Nazareth. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour, why did You con- 
ceal the wonders of the first thirty years of Your 
life, from our admiration and gratitude ? 

The Infant Jesus. — My dear child, pride is 
man's greatest wound ; and I came to cure it, es- 
pecially by means of my example ; therefore to his 
disorderly love for rank and show, I sought to op- 
pose the marvel of my thirty years of humiliation, 
silence and obscurity. 

The Child. — But at least, O hidden God ! 
might not the Evangelists 'have related to us the 
prodigies of perfection which you unveiled to the 
eyes of Mary and Joseph. 

The Infant Jesus. — What could they offer to 
man of a more instructive nature, than the spec- 
tacle of a God becoming obedient to His creatures 
in expiation of their revolt against God ! 

The Child.— My Divine Master ! permit me to 
represent to you, that a life so poor, so humble, 
so laborious, was rather calculated to deter faith- 
ful souls from following your examples, than to 
attract them. 

The Infant Jesus. — Because a sick man repul- 
ses the only remedy which can cure him, should 



216 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



the physician yield to his fatal opposition. Man's 
dislike for humiliation is a still further proof of the 
need he had of such an example. 

The Child. — How can I ever imitate it and 
conquer my repugnance to obedience, obscurity 
and labor ? 

The Infant Jesus. — You can do it, dear child, 
with the aid of my grace, by frequently meditating 
on my hidden life. Eemember that it was to in- 
sure your repose, that I labored, to render obe- 
dience easy to you, that I became submissive, to 
obtain glory for you, that I humbled myself, and 
whatever now costs you dear will then become 
sweet and easy to you: 

PRACTICE. 

Learn to practise humility. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Jesus, who, in the obscurity of the holy 
house of Nazareth, offered to Heaven and earth 
the spectacle of the most sublime virtues, stifle in 
my heart that desire to be remarked, which pos- 
sesses it, that opposition to obedience which raises 
it against the will of its superiors, and that , idle- 
ness which renders application to labor insupport- 
able to it. May I learn from the example of Your 
hidden life to sanctify all my actions by faith, and 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



217 



seeking only to please You here below, may I 
merit to contemplate You in glory above. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

During an invasion of tbe Lombards into France 
and Italy, some soldiers travelling through the 
country near Nice, discovered an old tower falling 
in ruins. They entered it, and were astonished 
to find there a hermit named Hospicius. They at 
first took him for a malefactor, condemned to 
live in that tower ; and were confirmed in their 
opinion when the saint told them he was guilty 
of the greatest crimes. At these words, one of 
the soldiers lifted up his sword to cut off his head ; 
but St. Hospicius having invoked the name of 
Jesus, the arm of the soldier became benumbed 
and motionless. Struck at that prodigy, his com- 
rades entreated the Saint to tell them what they 
should do to cure the man. But he, making the 
sign of the cross, restored animation to his arm. 
The soldier, astonished at the miracle, and acknowl- 
edging the sanctity of St. Hospicius, would not 
leave him. He bade farewell to his companions, 
renounced the profession of arms and the hopes 
of fortune, and joined the Saint in his retirement. 
You can find this account in the lives of the Holy 
Fathers of the West. 
19 



218 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXIV. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus increases in wisdom, age, and 
grace. 

Since the Holy Ghost inspired the Evangelist 
St. Luke, to tell us twice in the same chapter that 
the child Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and 
in grace with* God and man, it was doubtless His 
design that we should pay special attention to that 
growth, and that, if we have begun to comprehend 
what it was in the Saviour's person, we should 
endeavor to realize what it should be in ourselves. 
You have not forgotten, dear child, that funda- 
mental truth, that Jesus Christ, from the first mo- 
ment of his incarnation possessed within Himself 
all wisdom and sanctity : you remember that upon 
His entrance into the world, He offered Himself 
to God, to accomplish His Holy will ; and that He 
was called from His birth the Wise Man, the Coun- 
sellor, the Author of Peace. Thus, when the 
Evangelist repeats that He advanced in wisdom, he 
wishes us to understand that that wisdom and 
grace, whose fulness was within Him, by a wise 
dispensation of Providence, should show them- 
selves as it were gradually, by means of words and 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



219 



actions which found favor both with God and men. 
What I wish you particularly to notice to-day, and 
to keep carefully in your heart, is, that the advance- 
ment of the Child Jesus is a model for your own 
conduct, and that you also should increase in wis- 
dom and age, and in grace with God and men. 

You perhaps have secretly thought, dear child, 
that it is useless for me to tell you to advance in 
age, since that is only a work of time, which never 
fails in its accomplishment. I answer you that 
the Evangelist probably knew that as well as you 
do, and that when he repeats twice in the same 
chapter that the Child Jesus advanced in age, he 
points out to us some important lesson for our 
spiritual advancement, some truth less easily per- 
ceived than the inevitable increase of years. He 
gives us to understand that as all things were in 
perfect harmony in the person of the Divine Child, 
both the increase of years and the progressive 
manifestation of wisdom, the development of His 
bodily strength and that of the gifts of grace-, so 
should it be with the Christian child ; that is to 
say, that in proportion as his body grows and dis- 
engages itself from the natural weakness of infancy, 
his soul should elevate and strengthen itself, and 
whilst preserving candor and simplicity should in- 
crease in wisdom and prudence. 



220 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



But the thought of the sacred writer contains a 
still more touching consideration for you, dear 
child : what did Religion propose to herself in en- 
gaging you in the devotion of the month of the 
Holy Childhood ? what was your own motive in 
following its practices ? was it not to give birth in 
your soul to the Child Jesus? was it not with 
that view that you studied to acquire the knowl- 
edge of Him, and to penetrate yourself with the 
spirit of His virtues, by the contemplation of His 
adorable mysteries? Now that I hope He has 
really taken birth in your heart, He must grow 
and increase therein, that is, He must produce 
those holy affections, and interior acts of which 
He is the sole object and witness, and of which 
good and edifying behavior, and works of piety 
and charity, are the external fruits. Thanks to 
His goodness, those habits of lying, of disobe- 
dience, of idleness and sensuality, those desires 
contrary to innocence, no longer exist, to threaten, 
like Herod of old, the life of the Divine Child with- 
in your soul : yes, Herod is dead ; but fear lest 
some one of his race survives ; some unperceived 
or disguised affection for old weaknesses; some 
little passion which may slay the new-born Jesus. 
Like St. Joseph, fear the slightest appearance of 
danger. Oh ! if your divine Saviour could find 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



221 



in your soul similar faith, piety, and loving adora- 
tions to those with which He was unceasingly sur- 
rounded in His obscure retreat of Nazareth, He 
would abide therein, and would cause you to ad- 
vance in all manner of virtues. Address yourself 
with filial confidence to Mary and Joseph, in order 
to learn from them the secret of keeping Jesus 
ever with you ; and they will obtain for you the 
grace of so doing. 

Colloquy with the Child Jesus, upon the necessity 
of advancing in His love. 

The Child. — My Divine Saviour, I sincerely 
hope that, in Your mercy, You have deigned to 
take birth in my heart. But alas! you have found 
there all the poverty and nakedness of the manger 
at Bethlehem. 

The Infant Jesus. — I entered into your heart 
in order to soften it and to adorn it with all virtues. 

The Child. — Why, then, O my Saviour ! does 
it remain so indifferent toward Your love ] why 
has it only some ineffectual desires to offer You ; 
in place of virtuous actions ? 

The Infant Jesus.— The reason is, my child, 
that my love grows but slowly in your heart : and 
it is not profitable for you to see clearly the prog- 
ress which my grace makes in your soul. 
19* 



222 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



The Child. — Divine master! what must I do, 
in order that it may increase and strengthen ? 

The Infant Jesus. — Think often upon the life 
which I led at Nazareth. It contains instruction 
for all ages; but to none in a more direct manner 
than to those of childhood and youth, since it was 
entirely passed in the exercise of obedience, labor, 
and prayer. 

The Child. — My dearest Lord ! it seems to me, 
that I am well disposed to imitate it, or rather to 
embrace its spirit, and • study its virtues, the more 
so, as the duties it imposes are the same to which 
You deigned to submit. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child ! if you wish me 
to live within your soul, and to cause you to in- 
crease in my love, labor to expiate your sins, pray 
in union with my Holy Spirit, and obey your 
parents and teachers, in order to honor my obe- 
dience. 

PRACTICE. 

Perform all your actions with great purity of 
intention. 

prater. 

Divine Jesus, You are my last end as You were 
my first beginning ; I should refer every thing to 
You, since my whole being belongs to You ; do not 
permit me henceforward to lose the fruit of my la- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



223 



bors, of my obedience, nor of my sacrifices, by neg 
lecting to consecrate them to You; grant on the 
contrary, that whatever I may do or suffer, I may 
have nothing else in view than the imitation of Your 
divine examples, and may glorify You, for permit- 
ting me to share in the merits and rewards of Your 
virtues. 

EXAMPLE. 

It is related of St. Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, 
that foreseeing a year of scarcity, he made a large 
provision of corn, for the sake of feeding his peo- 
ple. For this action the holy man was ridiculed 
and reviled, by some who used to say over their 
cups, " What means this old man, this jubilee 
priest? (for he had then been a priest for fifty 
years.) Does he wish to found a new city ?" A mob 
was collected, and inflamed by these leaders ; they 
set fire to the bishop's graneries, which were all 
consumed when the holy man arrived at the spot : 
What then do you think did he say and do? He 
alighted from his horse, and as it was the winter 
season, he approached as near as he could to the 
fire, as if to warm himself, saying, " A hearth is 
always good, especially for an old man." That was 
all the vengeance he to ok. 



224 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE XXV. OF JANUARY. 

The Infant Jesus unceasingly attracts the Christian 
soul. 

Was I not right, dear child, in telling you as I 
did, in the beginning of this month, that the mys- 
teries of the Holy Childhood of the Saviour, a fea- 
ture of which was presented to your daily con- 
sideration, far from fatiguing you, would prove a 
sweet recreation ! what could be better calculated 
to charm pure hearts and innocent minds, than the 
instructive and varied picture of the early years of 
the most beautiful and amiable of the children of 
men ? How powerful an allurement, for a Christian 
child, is the contemplation of his Creator, reduced 
to the state of infancy, and weeping in His manger, 
or smilingly receiving his homage ! what more 
certain to bring forth piety, holiness, the sweetest 
sentiments, and the most sublime virtues, in the 
soul ! Oh ! my child, I know, but too well, that 
the colors have often been tame, and the painter 
far below his subject ; yet these sketches, feeble as 
they are, have given you some idea of it, and 
something seems to say to me that the Holy 
Ghost has finished it in your heart ; and that your 
life will henceforth be a true copy of it. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



225 



But to accomplish that end, dear child, your 
interest in the mysteries of the Holy Childhood 
must not finish with the month which you have 
consecrated to their honor. If, as I love to be- 
lieve, the Divine unction with which they are 
filled has penetrated into your soul, you will ex- 
perience the need of frequently meditating upon 
them. We are never satisfied with merely once 
inhaling the agreeable odor of a bouquet which 
has been given to us. After our return from a 
journey, especially if it has been through a beau- 
tiful part of the country, we never forget the sce- 
nery we have witnessed ; we delight to describe 
its beauties to those who have not seen them, and 
to reproduce them upon cloth or paper, if we can 
either draw or paint. Often, even in solitude and 
silence, we retrace in thought the places we have 
visited, and in these mental excursions we find in- 
describable pleasure. Thus it should be with 
those consoling mysteries with which your piety 
has been occupied during the past month. The 
celestial gifts of the Child Jesus should, as it were, 
embalm your soul ; and the remembrance of all 
that you have seen in Bethlehem, at Jerusalem, 
at Nazareth, and wherever you have followed 
Him, should often carry you thither in spirit. 
His Blessed Mother gives you that example. 



226 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



" Mary/' says the Evangelist, " kept all these words, 
and," he adds, u pondering them in her heart" 
This second reflection of the sacred writer points 
out a most important obligation. 

The fruit of your pious practices, dear child, 
should not be confined to a mere knowledge of, 
nor a barren admiration for them. You must im- 
plant in your heart the love of those mysteries, 
whose meditation has so delighted your mind; 
for this reason, because the sublime examples 
which they have presented to you, and the senti- 
ments with which they have inspired you, should 
become the rule of your conduct and affections; 
and that you should reproduce and copy, when 
the occasion presents itself, the virtues not only 
of the divine Child, but also of all those holy per- 
sonages who were admitted to a participation in 
His mysteries. Having fixed your attention upon 
a different subject, during each day of the past 
month, you can only have formed in your mind, if 
I may so say, a rough sketch of them. However, 
it is not merely some general features which you 
are to reproduce in your life, but a living image of 
the Child Jesus. Think of the care and attention 
required when you seek to imitate, I do not say 
the expression and physiognomy, but merely the 
features of a face given you to copy. How often 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 1 227 

you turn your eyes upon your model, comparing, 
measuring, and studying more and more closely, 
what you have seen and examined perhaps a hun- 
dred times before. Yet what is needed to render 
your copy exact ? Attention and accuracy, so in 
order to reproduce the Holy Childhood of Jesus 
in your life ; to show yourself hereafter, in all your 
actions, another Jesus Christ, you need constant 
labor, frequent meditation, and continual study of 
that admirable model ! Take then the resolution 
to revive, from time to time, your faith and love 
in Jesus Christ, by the consideration of some one 
of the mysteries of His adorable childhood, and 
whilst awaiting the return of the month conse- 
crated to its honor, propose to yourself to labor to 
acquire that virtue of which you feel the greatest 
need. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon the mysteries 
of the Holy Childhood. 

The Child. — Yes, dear Lord! I enjoyed true 
consolation in the study of the mysteries of Your 
Holy Childhood ; but after having meditated up- 
on them for a whole month, I have only caught a 
glimpse of that grandeur and mercy with which 
they are filled. 

The Infant Jesus. — Dear child, the longest 



228 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



life would not be sufficient for that contemplation, 
which will form the occupation and joy of rny 
elect throughout eternity. 

The Child. — Therefore, 0 Divine Master! I 
feel the need of further meditation upon them. 
But I fear lest, being no longer reminded of these 
holy mysteries by means of the meditations and 
practices which rendered them, as it were, present 
to my sight, that salutary impression may become 
weakened in my soul. 

The Infant Jesus. — My child ! the Church, by 
the direction of the Holy Ghost, has wisely distrib- 
uted the great mysteries of the faith throughout 
the whole course of the year. She has instituted 
solemn festivals destined to place them success- 
ively before the eyes of her faithful children ; and 
her desire is, that they should always keep up the 
spirit of them. 

The Child. — Such is also my desire, O my 
adorable Master ! but I know not how to render 
that desire efficacious. 

The Infant Jesus. — My dear child, without 
binding yourself to follow all the practices which 
you have followed during this past month, can 
you not select some one of them? What pre- 
vents you from consecrating this whole year to 
honoring my childhood? from renewing your con- 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



229 



secration on the twenty-fifth of each month ? from 
repeating daily, at either the end of your pray- 
ers, or during the course of the day, some invoca- 
tion in its honor ? or from seeking, amid all the 
virtues which have been indicated in the prac- 
tices at the end of each meditation, that whose ac- 
quirement seems most calculated to sanctify you ? 
Employ these simple means with perseverance, my 
child, and you will not only preserve the impres- 
sions of grace that you have received, but you 
will advance rapidly in the knowledge of my mys- 
teries, and will increase in my love. 

practice. 

Meditate frequently upon the Holy Childhood. 

PRAYER. 

How could I have so neglected your adorable 
mysteries, 0 my Divine Saviour ? so touching, so 
instructive, so enlightening, so consoling, as they 
are ! Notwithstanding the faults and imperfections 
of all kinds with which I have to reproach myself 
during the course of this month, consecrated to 
their honor, my heart is yet open to some good 
desires ; the Voice of Your grace seems to begin to 
make itself heard. Do not permit, 0 Divine Jesus I 
that the germs of life which have been sown therein 
20 



230 



LITTLE MONTH 



by Your mercy should wither and die. Deign to 
warm and fertilize them by Your love, in order that 
I rnay reproduce in my conduct some features of 
those virtues whose perfection I have admired in 
Your adorable Childhood. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

We read in the life of the Blessed Benvenuta of 
Bojano, a Dominican nun, that whilst meditating 
one day upon the grief of our Lady during the 
Three Days' Loss, she desired to participate in that 
affliction, and, therefore, prayed earnestly, both to 
our Lord and His Mother to grant her the grace to 
feel in herself our Lady's sorrow. And, behold ! a 
holy and venerable Lady appeared to herewith a 
beautiful and graceful Child, who began to walk 
about the room, keeping close to His Mother. 
His look and conversation inspired her with great 
happiness. But when she sought to touch Him he 
withdrew from her, and both He and His Mother 
suddenly disappeared. On this a vehement sor- 
row took possession of her soul, which continually 
increased, and afflicted her so deeply that she 
found no consolation in any thing, and it seemed 
as if she would die of grief. She was compelled, 
therefore, to beg our Lady to help her, for she 
could no longer endure it. At the end of three 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



231 



days the Blessed Virgin appeared to her, with her 
Son in her arms, and said, You asked for a taste of 
that sorrow which I suffered in the loss of Jesus, 
and it is but a taste which you have had. But do 
not ask such things again, because your weakness 
could not live under such an agony of grief ! 

(This day's meditation closes the Month of the 
Holy Childhood , but the time consecrated by the 
Church to the honoring of its mysteries not end- 
ing until the Feast of the Purification, you can 
recite the Litany of the Infant Jesus during the 
intervening cTays, and prepare yourself for that 
Feast by the following meditation.) 



MEDITATION. 

FOR THE II. OF FEBRUARY. 

The Child Jesus presented in the Temple. 

In placing before you to-day, dear child, this 
present meditation, I invert the order in which the 
mystery to which it refers was accomplished, since, 
as it was written in the law, the Infant Jesus was 
taken up to Jerusalem and presented to God in the 
Temple, forty days after His birth, and you have 



232 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



already beheld Him attain the age of twelve 
years. Two motives have led me to this transpo- 
sition. Firstly: since the Church celebrated at a 
stated period, the mystery of our Saviour's Present- 
ation in the Temple, the order which has been fol- 
lowed in the different subjects of the meditations 
could not agree with that epoch. Secondly : the 
Feast of the Purification being as it were the end- 
ing of the time consecrated to the mysteries of the 
Holy Infancy, you will find yourself in perfect har- 
mony with the Church as to the subject which 
now occupies your attention, and you will termi- 
nate with it those pious practices by which you 
have endeavored to honor them. 

The Law of Moses required that the first-born of 
all parents should be presented to, and consecrated 
to the service of Cod. This law appears manifest- 
ly to have been instituted in a figure of Jesus 
Christ, who being, as St. Paul says, the first-born 
before all creatures, was He by whom all were to 
be sanctified and eternally consecrated to God. 
You have already seen, dear child, the first act of 
Jesus upon entering the world was to devote and 
offer Himself in the place of all other doctrines of 
whatever nature they might be, to accomplish 
G-od's will in every manner. What He did in His 
Mother's womb by the dispositions of His heart, 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



233 



He does to-day outwardly, by presenting Himself 
in the temple, and giving Himself up to God. He 
took that solemn step to obey the letter of the 
Law, by causing Himself to be offered by the 
hands of His parents, and to fulfil its spirit by 
consecrating Himself entirely and unreservedly to 
God. 

That is not all, dear child, and what should 
affect us most deeply in this mystery is, that He 
also presented and consecrated us to JEEis Father, 
as indissolubly united to His person. Thus we 
belong to God, by the title of His creatures, and 
as the work of His hands ; while, by the presenta- 
tion of Jesus Christ our Head, we belong to Him as 
members of the mystical Body of His Son, and by 
the donation which He made of us in His own per- 
son to whom we are incorporated by baptism. Un- 
derstand well, then, dear child, that you have been 
given to God, consecrated to His service, and 
sanctified in Jesus Christ. In like manner as a 
vase, a building, or any other object once dedicat- 
ed to the worship of God, can never more be ap- 
plied to profane uses, so a Christian given to God 
by Jesus Christ, is obliged, unceasingly, to tend 
toward holiness both by his thoughts, desires, 
and labors ; and when he turns away from that 
end, to attach himself to the world, or to obey his 
20* 



234 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



passions, lie becomes profane, and guilty of sacri- 
lege. See then, dear child, the obligation you 
have contracted at the sacred font, and of which 
Jesus Christ made Himself the pledge in His Pre- 
sentation in the Temple. 

Another article of the law provided, that every 
mother on presenting her first-born before the altar, 
should offer a lamb in sacrifice at the entrance of 
the tabernacle, or if she could not afford that, 
two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, the one 
for a sin-offering the other for a burnt-offering. 
You will perhaps ask, dear child, how that law 
could affect the Infant Jesus, since He had no need 
to be redeemed, being Himself the Redeemer. Alas ! 
he took upon and bore about within Himself the 
form and likeness of slaves and sinners. Mankind 
had been condemned to death in punishment of 
sin ; it was really their lot to submit to it. God 
consented to deliver them from it by means of 
Jesus Christ, who died for them ; and it was as a 
figure of the Saviour, our true victim, that animals 
were offered up to God. They died in some sort 
for Him, whilst awaiting the hour of His sacrifice. 
How is it that you are not confounded with as- 
tonishment, at the mere thought of the Creator 
and Redeemer of mankind being ransomed by a 
few pieces of money, and that ttie sacrifice of His 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



235 



life had been prefigured by that of animals ! how 
can you reflect unmoved, upon His subjection to 
that law of slavery, in order to free those who 
were subjected to it, that all might become His 
adopted children ! 

But whilst Heaven accepts that wonderful ex- 
change, learn to appreciate by the immense value 
of the ransom offered for you, all the dignity of 
your soul, and the high esteem which you should 
have of the life which has been restored to you 
by the oblation of Jesus Christ. No, says the 
prince of the Apostles, you were not redeemed 
with corruptible things, as gold or silver, but by 
the precious blood of Jesus Christ. May the sight 
and remembrance of that mystery keep you ever, 
dear child, in holiness and innocence, and deter 
you from degenerating from the greatness to which 
your wonderful deliverance has raised you ! 
Whilst beholding the blessed candles which the 
faithful carry to-day, thank God for having called 
you into His marvellous light : and sing the praises 
of the Divine Infant who is the Light of the World. 
Beg Him to preserve and increase in your soul 
the inestimable gift of faith, and implore His mercy 
for so many souls, who have either never yet re- 
ceived it, or have had the misfortune to lose it. 
When the priest elevates the Holy Host at Mass, 



236 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



and offers It to the adoration of the faithful, unite 
yourself to his holy action, offer yourself with 
Jesus Christ to the Celestial Father, and having 
had the blessing of contemplating Him, beg Him 
fervently to close your eyes henceforth to all 
worldly vanities. 

Colloquy with the Infant Jesus upon His Presenta- 
tion in the Temple. 

The Child. — Divine Saviour, I did not fully 
understand before reading this meditation, that 
holiness was obligatory even for children. 

The Infant Jesus. — Why not, dear child, since 
it is much easier to acquire in early years, and 
more precious in God's sight than at any other 
time of life ? 

The Child. — But yet, dear Lord ! what is a 
poor child ? What can he do worthy to attract 
the looks of the Almighty ? 

The Infant Jesits. — And what, dear child, is 
the most powerful and skilful of men ? However 
much his fellow-man may esteem his actions, they 
are only valuable in the eyes of the Just Judge 
according to the purity of heart and rectitude of 
intention which animate them ; and the humble 
child who walks before Him in his innocence, only 
attentive to please him, is more the object of His 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



237 



complacency than the proud man who fills the 
world with the report of his name. 

The Child. — My Divine Master ! You have told 
me that holiness is easier attainable in youth than 
in later years. However, it exacts many sacrifices 
from it. 

The Infant Jesus. — Yes, my child, it is easier 
to acquire in early years, because the duties which 
it imposes are less numerous and less painful. But 
even while giving the name of sacrifices to the re- 
nouncement of pleasures often hurtful and always 
frivolous, are they not softened by the contentment 
which accompanies them and the interior joy which 
follows them ? Have you not yourself, dear child, 
experienced this fact ? 

The Child. — It is true, dearest Lord I that the 
mere remembrance and consideration of Your my s- 
teries during this past month have procured me 
many pure and sweet consolations. 

The Infant Jesus. — What will it be then, dear 
child, when you practise the virtues which they 
have taught you, and when for the first recom- 
pense of your struggles and triumphs, I will bestow 
upon your soul a foretaste of that hidden manna 
which I reserve for my victorious children ? 

The Child. — My Divine Master ! I wish to be- 
long to you forever, since your service is both 



238 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



lawful and profitable. But I dread the weakness 
of my heart and I unceasingly implore your mercy 
and grace to aid me to remain ever faithful to you. 

PRACTICE. 

Give yourself to God, unreservedly and forever. 

PRAYER. 

O my God ! who created me for Yourself alone, 
and only placed me upon this earth in order to 
lead me to heaven, have mercy on my weakness, 
strengthen my good desires, and if You preserve 
my life keep me also in Your grace. You know 
that I wish to love, to follow, and to belong to 
You alone. Grant, then, O Divine Jesus ! that I 
may live only to serve You, and in dying be united 
to You eternally. Amen. 

EXAMPLE. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the order, 
of the Jesuits, before his conversion thought 
of nothing but satisfying his ardent passion for 
glory. At the age of twenty-nine he was be- 
sieged in the castle of Pampeluna, where, after 
having displayed great courage, he was wounded 
upon the breach. A shot from a cannon broke 
from the wall a bit of stone, which struck and 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



239 



bruised his left leg ; and the ball itself, in the re- 
bound, broke and shivered his right leg. The 
garrison, seeing him fall, surrendered at discretion. 
The conquerors treated the prisoners well, and Ig- 
natius was sent in a litter to the castle of Loyola, 
which belonged to his father. His cure being 
tedious and difficult, he called for some book of 
romances to dispel his melancholy. None such be- 
ing found in the castle, the " Immolation of Christ," 
and the " Lives of the Saints," were brought to 
him. He read them, first only to pass away time, 
but afterward began to relish them, and to spend 
whole days in perusing them. He was struck at 
all those heroes had done to save their souls, and 
resolved to imitate them. His conversion was 
heroical, and worthy of his heart. He entirely re- 
nounced the world, and became the founder of 
the Society of J esus, which has since rendered to 
the Church such valuable services. 



240 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



LITTLE CHAPLET; 

OR, CROWN OP THE HOLY CHILD JESUS. 

This little chaplet is composed of fifteen beads, 
three large ones and twelve small ones. Upon 
the three large beads you say three Our Fathers, 
and upon the twelve small ones, twelve Hail 
Marys. The three Our Fathers are designed to 
honor the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, 
whom St. Bernard calls the " Earthly Trinity f 
the twelve Hail Marys to honor the twelve years, 
to which number the childhood of Jesus is gener- 
ally extended. The recitation of this little chap- 
let is a powerful means to obtain innocence and 
Christian simplicity. Since it pleased God to 
convert the Magi by means of the weakness of in- 
fancy, and to overwhelm them with graces, you 
may piously hope to obtain all sorts of favors and 
assistance by the recital of this Chaplet. 

Experience has taught, that its use is greatly 
efficacious in all temptations against faith and 
purity. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



241 



Manner of reciting the Little Chaplet, or Crown 
of the Infant Jesus. 

After having made the sign of the Cross, and 
recited the three Our Fathers, you say : " The 
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." 
Then recite the twelve Hail Marys, after which 
you add the following Versicles and Prayers: 

V. A Child is born for us. 

R. And He is full of grace and truth. 

PRAYER. 

Divine Infant ! Incomparable Beauty, Infinite 
Goodness ! Since You are my Saviour, I adore 
You, I love You. I consecrate to You all the pow- 
ers of my mind, and all the tenderness of my 
heart ; and I give You sincere thanks for having 
become a child through love of me. I adore You 
in all the mysteries of Your divine Infancy. I be- 
seech You to give me its spirit, and to grant me 
the grace worthily to honor You, by the imitation 
of the virtues which You practised therein, in or- 
der that, uniting myself to Your holy dispositions 
during my life on earth, I may deserve to see and 
possess You eternally in Heaven. Amen. 

This Chaplet should be said after the daily medi- 
tation, when possible. 

BLESSED BE GOD ! 

21 



242 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



HYMN FOR CHRISTMAS TIME. 

Oh, come, all ye faithful ! 

Triumphantly sing ; 
Come see in the manger 

The Angel's dread King ! 
To Bethlehem hasten, 

With joyful accord ; 
Oh, hasten ! oh, hasten ! 

To worship the Lord ! 

True Son of the Father, 
He comes from the skies ; 

The womb of the Virgin 
He doth not despise ; 

To Bethlehem hasten, etc., etc. 

Hark to the Angels ! 

All singing in Heaven, 
" To God in the highest 

All glory be given." 
To Bethlehem hasten, etc., etc. 

To Thee, then, O Jesu ! 

This day of Thy birth, 
Be glory and honor 

Through heaven and earth ! 
True Godhead, Incarnate ! 

Omnipotent Word ! 
Oh, hasten ! oh, hasten ! 

To worship the Lord ! 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



243 



MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD. 

V. O God, make speed to save us. 
R. 0 Lord, make haste to help us. 
V. Glory be to the Father, etc. 

Pater Noster. 

THE INCARNATION. 

I. Jesus, sweetest child, who from the bosom 
of the Father didst for our salvation come down 
into the womb of Mary ever Virgin, where, con- 
ceived by the Holy Ghost, Thou, the Word incar- 
nate, didst take upon Thee the form of a servant; 
have mercy upon us. 

R. Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, have mercy on us. 

Ave Maria. 

THE VISITATION. 

II. Jesu, sweetest Child, who in Thy Virgin 
Mother's womb, in her didst visit Saint Elizabeth, 
and fill Thy forerunner, the holy Baptist, with the 
Holy Ghost; sanctifying him from his mother's 
womb ; have mercy upon us. 

R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 

III. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, for nine months 



244 THE LITTLE MONTH 

hid in Thy Mother's womb, didst tarry for the 
time of Thy birth, being looked for with eager ex- 
pectation by Mary and by Joseph, and by them was 
offered to God the Father, for the salvation of the 
world, have mercy upon us. 
R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 

THE BIRTH. 

IV. Jesu, sweetest Child, born in Bethlehem 
of Mary ever Virgin, swathed in poor rags, laid 
in the manger, glorified by angels, visited by shep- 
herds ; have mercy upon us. 

R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 

0 Jesus, born of Virgin bright, 

Immortal glory be to Thee ; 
Praise to the Father Infinite, 

And Holy Ghost eternally. 

V. Christ is at hand. 

R. 0 come, let us worship. 

Pater Foster. 

THE CIRCUMCISION. 

V. Jesu, sweetest Child, circumcised the eighth 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



245 



day, called by the glorious name of Jesus, and by 
Thy name and by Thy Blood foreshown as the 
Saviour of the world, have mercy upon us. 
R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria, 

THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI. 

VI. Jesu, sweetest Child, made known to the 
three Magi by a star, adored in Mary's bosom, 
mysteriously honored with the gifts of gold, frank- 
incense and myrrh ; have mercy upon us. 

E. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 

THE PRESENTATION. 

VII. Jesu, sweetest Child, presented in the 
Temple by Mary, Virgin Mother, whom Simeon 
embraced with his arms, and Anna magnified with 
the voice of prophecy ; have mercy upon us. 

E. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 

THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 

VIII. Jesu, sweetest Child, whom Herod sought 
to slay, whom Joseph carried with Mary into 
Egypt, who wast saved from death by flight, and 

21* 



246 



THE LITTLE MONTH 



whom the Blood of innocents did glorify ; have 
mercy npon ns. 

R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 
0 Jesu, etc., as above. V. and R., as above. 
Pater Foster. 

THE SOJOURN IN EGYPT. 

IX. Jesu, sweetest Child, who for seven years 
didst dwell an exile in the land of Egypt, and 
there didst lisp Thy first w r ord, and take Thy first 
infant step when loosed from Thy swathing bands, 
and secretly didst work Thy first marvels by over- 
throwing the idols of the land ; have mercy upon us. 

R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 

THE RETURN OUT OF EGYPT. 

X. Jesu, sweetest Child, who after Herod's 
death, wast called from out of Egypt into the land 
of Israel, who didst suffer many trials by the way, 
and wast carried back by Mary and Joseph into 
Nazareth ; have mercy upon us. 

R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 



OF THE HOLY INFANCY. 



247 



HOLY LIFE. 

XL Jesu, sweetest Child, who in Thy poor house 
at Nazareth, didst dwell most holily, passing Thy 
life in obedience, poverty, and toil, and growing in 
wisdom, age, and grace, wast manifested to God 
and men ; have mercy upon us. 

R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 

DISPUTATION WITH THE DOCTORS. 

XII. Jesu, sweetest Child, at twelve years' old, 
brought to Jerusalem, lost by Thy parents, sought 
with much sorrow, found with greatest joy after 
three days, disputing amongst the doctors in the 
Temple ; have mercy upon us. 

R. Have mercy, etc. 

Ave Maria. 
O Jesu, etc., as above. 

Y. The Word was made Flesh. 
R. And dwelt amongst us. 

Let us Pray. 

Almighty and everlasting God, Lord of Heaven 
and earth, who dost reveal Thyself to little ones ; 
grant us, we beseech Thee, so to honor meetly the 



248 



THE LITTLE MONTH, ETC. 



holy mysteries of Thy Son, the Infant Jesus, and 
so to follow Him humbly in our lives, that we may 
come to the eternal Kingdom, promised by Thee 
to little children. Through the same Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. 

Pope Pius YIL, by a decree of the Sacred Con- 
gregation of Indulgences, dated November 23, 
1819, granted : 

L The Plenary Indulgence, on the 25th of 
every month, to all those, who, being penitent, 
having confessed and communicated, should be 
present at any church or public oratory, in which, 
the above pious exercise is used, provided also they 
pray according to the intention of the Sovereign 
Pontiff. 

II. The Indulgence of 300 days once a day, 
to those who, in private, with a contrite heart 
devoutly use this pious exercise. — (From the Rac- 
colta.) 



FINIS. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Dedication iii 

Preface to the French edition iv 

A short Account of the Origin, Aim, and Advan- 
tages of the Society of the Holy Child- 
hood vii 

Preliminary Lecture 1 

Litany of the Holy Infancy 5 

Litany of those Saints who were devoted to the 

Holy Infancy 10 

Invocations to the first adorers of the Infant 

Jesus 13 

Prayer to the Holy Child Jesus 13 

MEDITATIONS 

FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. 

For the Yigil of Christmas. — Arrival of the holy 

Family at Bethlehem 15 

For Christmas Day. — Birth of Jesus Christ * 23 

For the XXYI. — Joy of the blessed Yirgin at the 

birth of the Infant Jesus 31 

For the XXYII. — The Angels celebrate the birth of 

the Infant Jesus , 38 

For the XXYHL— -The Infant Jesus glorifies God. . 44 



xxiv 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 



Foe the XXIX. — The Infant Jesns brings peace to 

men 52 

For the XXX. — The Infant Jesus attracts the Shep- 
herds to His manger 59 

Tor the XXXI. — The Infant Jesus is adored by the 

Shepherds 66 

MEDITATIONS 

FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY. 

For the L — Mystery of the circumcision 12 

For the II. — The name of Jesus 19 

For the III. — Power of the name of Jesus 85 

For the IV. — The Infant Jesus draws children toward 

the consideration of His first mysteries 92 

For the Y. — Upon the opposition shown toward the 

mysteries of the Holy Infancy 98 

For the VI. — The Infant Jesus attracts the Magi by 

means of a star 105 

For the VII. — Upon the Magi Ill 

For the VIH. — The Magi leave their own country. . . 118 
For the IX. — The arrival of the Magi at Jerusalem. . 124 

For the X. — The Magi leave Jerusalem 130 

For the XI. — The star conducts the Magi to Bethle- 
hem 13 1 

For the XII. — The Magi offer their gifts to the In- 
fant Jesus 143 

For the XIII. — Return of the Magi to their own 

land 148 

For the XIV. — The Infant Jesus flees into Egypt. . 154 
For the XV.— The Holy Innocents 160 



CONTENTS. XXV 

PAGE. 

Fob the XYI. — The Infant Jesus in Egypt 166 

For the XYII. — The Infant Jesus leaves Egypt 1*73 

For the XVIII. — The Infant Jesus returns to Judea IT 9 

For the XIX. — The Infant Jesus grows and 

strengthens 184 

For the XX. — The Infant Jesus follows His parents 

to Jerusalem 190 

For the XXI. — The Infant Jesus remains in Jerusa- 
lem 198 

For the XXII. — The Child Jesus found in the Tem- 
ple 205 

For the XXIII. — The Child Jesus returns to Naza- 
reth 212 

For the XXIY. — The Child Jesus increases in wis- 
dom, age and grace 4 . . 218 

For the XXY. — The Infant Jesus unceasingly at- 
tracts the Christian soul 224 

MEDITATIONS 

FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. 

For the II. — The Infant Jesus presented in the Tem- 
ple 231 

The Little Chaplet, or Crown of the Holy Infant 
Jesus 240 

Manner of reciting the Little Chaplet 241 

Hymn for Christmas Time 242 



